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uimiisiiiaiiia 


Positively  the  Greatest  Discovery  of  the  Age. 

VAN    BUREN'S 

Rheumatic  Compound 

Is  Warranted  to  Cure  the  Worst  Cases  or 

...,«„«                %      VAN!  RURFN'S  %  Being  a  BLOOD  PT7RI- 

1NFLAMMAT0RY,             •%       VMIN  DUrVCINO  2S  FIER,  and  acting  direct 

vfr %  on  the  bowels,  as  well 

CPIATIPA                  -A  .  -A  as  the  nervous  system, 

dl/lHUUM,               *,  _^_  ^  and  liver,  it  naturally 

«.  CHR0N,C'|  Positive  Cure  f  =5=, 

TICDOULOUREUX,    |  FOR  ^  PALPITATION. 

NEURALG.A,    |  RHEUMATISM.  |  A    "EdARTD,SEASE 

And   all  this  daSS  Of     I  j    And  all  diseases  ansmg 

|«  |g  from  a 

Diseases.  |  R^eUIliatiC   C  (HUB  (Mil.  ^    Disordered  Stomach. 

This  Article  is  Purely  Vegetable,  contains  no  Minerals. 


PRICE,  50  CENTS  AND   $  1 .00   PER   BOTTLE, 

Liberal  Discount  to  the  Trade. 


B.  VAN  BUREN,  Chemist  and  Druggist, 

MANUFACTURER   AND   PROPRIETOR, 

1249  WEST  MADISON  STREET, 

CHICAGO. 

FOR  SALE  BY  DRUGGISTS  GENERALLY 


Press  Notices  of  "A  Commercial  Trip." 

How  one  of  the  firm  was  sent  out  in  place  of  an  ex- 
perienced commercial  traveler  to  Pittsburg,  Columbus, 
Cincinnati,  and  other  large  cities  in  the  West,  how  he 
succeeded  in  getting  orders,  and  what  came  of  his  trip,  is 
effectively  told  in  this  narrative.  The  sleeping  car,  the 
hotel,  and  the  houses  called  upon,  furnish  very  laughable 
scenes,  which  are  brightly  and  humorously  described. 
*  *  *  *  Wit  flows  freely,  and  sparkles  on 
every  page,  although  the  incidents  were  enough  to  cause 
boisterous  mirth.    It  is  very  cleverly  done. — Boston  Globe. 

A  story,  bright  and  pleasant  throughout.  *  *  * 
— New  Orleans  Times-Democrat. 

*  *     Mr.  Bartlett  writes  pleasantly,  and 

his  work  has  the  merit  of  pretty  faithfully  reflecting  a 
phase  of  contemporary  life. — N.  Y.  Commercial. 

*  *  An  amusing  account  of  the  ad- 
ventures of  a  young  man  devoted  to  his  violin  and 
fishing,  who  started  out  on  his  first  commercial  trip  and 
fell  in  love  on  the  way.  His  experiences  in  hotels,  boats 
and  steam  cars  were  very  absurd,  and  are  cleverly  de- 
scribed. It  is  generally  considered  a  dangerous  thing  to 
attempt  to  write  a  funny  book,  but  the  author  of  this 
odd  little  volume  may  be  congratulated  at  having  made 
so  much  of  a  success. — Milwaukee  Sentinel. 

A  story  of  a  purely  American  character,  full  of  amus- 
ing incident.  Hotel  and  railway  adventures,  various 
mishaps  and  misapprehensions,  offer  excellent  material, 
which  is  brightly  and  humorously  treated. — JV.  Y.  Journal. 


One  may  be  a  highly  successful  business  man  in  the 
conducting  of  an  establishment,  and  yet  prove  an  unsuc- 
cessful commercial  traveler,  even  for  his  own  house.  In 
a  pretty  little  book  entitled  "A  Commercial  Trip  with  an 
Uncommercial  Ending,"  George  H.  Bartlett  relates  in  a 
very  racy  and  readable  style,  the  experience  of  Mr. 
Clark,  of  the  New  York  firm  of  Dale  &  Clark,  who  took 
a  commercial  trip  to  relieve  their  faithful  commercial 
traveler,  Morgan,  who  had  become  considerably  run 
down  and  needed  a  vacation.  *  *  *  *  Clark 
soon  found  that  commercial  traveling  was  not  recreative 
work,  neither  was  it  work  that  anybody  could  easily  ac- 
complish. His  encounters  with  swarms  of  agents  of 
rival  houses,  and  experience  with  buyers,  are  graphically 
related.      *         *         *         *     — Home  Journal,  Boston. 

*  *  *  *  The  account  of  the  woman  bar- 
gaining for  the  sleeping  berth  at  Pittsburg  is  especially 
good.—  N.  Y.  World. 

A  racy  little  romance,  the  general  character  of  which 
will  be  at  once  surmised  by  the  title.  *  *  *  * 
The  romance  is  pleasantly  woven  through  the  business 
transactions  of  the  commercial  traveler,  and  the  story 
will  make  agreeable  summer  reading. —  Troy  Times. 

*  *  *  *  Told  in  a  witty  and  vivacious 
style. — Times- Star,  Cincinnati. 

It  is  natural,  with  genuine  humor.  The  very  simplicity 
of  the  little  sketches  are  their  chief  charm.  *  *  * 
—St.  John's  (N.  B.)  Globe. 


RAND,  McNALLY  &  00.,  Publishers,  148-154  Monroe  St.,  Chicago. 


A   Commercial   Trip 


AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING 


GEORGE    H.  BARTLETT 


RAND,  McNALLY  &  CO., 

148  to  154  Monroe  Street,  Chicago. 

323  Broadway,  New  York. 


TZ. 


3 


(L 


COPYR.GHT  BY 

GEORGE   H.  BARTLET|' 

1884. 


A  COMMERCIAL  TRIP  WITH  AN    UN- 
COMMERCIAL ENDING. 

I. 

"  Office  of  Dale  and  Clark, 
"  New  York,  Aug.  28,  188-. 

DEAR  CLARK: 
"  Morgan  is  a  good  deal  run  down  from  trav- 
elling so  much  during  the  hot  weather.  He  expects 
to  s.tart  on  another  trip  next  Tuesday,  but  he  really 
needs  rest,  and  ought  to  take  a  vacation.  Cannot 
you  make  the  trip  in  his  place?  Perhaps  you  will 
think  there  is  no  good  reason  why  I  should  not  go 
myself — but  please  to  remember  that  I  have  a  family, 
while  you  are  a  bachelor !  The  following  would  be 
your  route  :— Pittsburgh,  Columbus,  Cincinnati, 
Louisville,  Indianapolis,  Terre  Haute,  St.  Louis, 
Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Detroit,  Toledo,  and  Cleve- 
land. It  would  take  you  about  four  weeks  to  cover 
the  ground.  Please  let  me  know  at  once  whether 
you  will  go." 

Clark  was  aboard  his  yacht,    the  Fleehving, 
anchored    in    New    London     Harbor   for   the 


2  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

night,  when  this  letter  was  received  from  his 
partner.  In  company  with  three  other  young 
bachelors  he  was  taking  a  cruise  through  Long 
Island  Sound.  They  had  spent  the  past  few 
days  trolling  for  bluefish,  which  they  had  found 
very  abundant  between  Little  Gull  Light- house 
and  Fisher's  Island.  The  letter  had  arrived  to- 
ward the  close  of  the  two  weeks  set  apart  for 
the  cruise,  so  their  rovings  were  not  much 
shortened  by  Clark's  decision  to  sail  for  New 
York  on  the  following  morning.  The  Fleet- 
wing  made  a  quick  run  to  New  York,  and 
Clark  was  again  at  his  office  attending  to  busi- 
ness. He  had  seen  the  Fleetwing  sail  away 
with  Morgan  and  several  friends  on  board, 
Clark  having  persuaded  the  traveller  to  take  a 
cruise. 

Tuesday  afternoon  Clark  was  at  his  bachelor 
quarters,  packing.  He  had  taken  Morgan's 
trunk,  which  was  of  moderate  size  and  con- 
structed in  a  most  substantial  manner.  In 
truth,  it  had  so  much  iron  about  it  that  it  bore 
some  resemblance  to  a  safe.  This  trunk  had 
been  in  active  service  for  ten  years,  and  bag- 
gagemen had  become  discouraged  by  its  obsti- 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  3 

nate  tenacity,  and  given  up  all  hopes  of  ever 
being  able  to  do  it  any  serious  damage. 

The  few  samples  which  Clark  was  obliged  to 
carry  were  fastened  upon  cards,  taking  up  but 
little  space  in  the  trunk.  Most  of  the  goods  in 
which  the  firm  dealt  were  staple  articles,  and  it 
was  not  necessary  to  carry  samples  of  these. 
In  one  tray  of  the  trunk  Clark  had  carefully 
packed  a  case  containing  a  great  treasure — 
namely,  an  old  and  valuable  violin.  It  had  the 
sweetest  of  voices,  and  Clark  had  played  upon 
it  ever  since  he  was  ten  years  old. 

The  packing  being  finished,  Clark  locked  the 
trunk,  having,  however,  first  taken  a  farewell 
look  at  his  violin,  and  saying  :  "  Good-bye,  old 
friend,  till  we  meet  in  Pittsburgh."  Then  he 
packed  his  valise,  after  which,  as  it  still  lacked 
an  hour  before  the  hack  would  call  to  take  him 
to  the  depot,  he  unlocked  his  trunk,  took  out 
his  violin,  and  stood  before  a  small  picture.  It 
was  an  oil-painting  by  Meyer  von  Bremem — 
the  subject  being  a  sleeping  child,  while  three 
other  children  stood  gazing  lovingly  upon  the 
little  sleeper,  the  faces  of  all  being  lighted  up 
by  a  candle  held  by  one  of  the  children.     It  was 


4  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

a  very  beautiful  and  life-like  picture,  and  Clark 
had  become  very  much  attached  to  the  little 
group.  His  intimate  friends  usually  spoke  of  the 
painting  as  "  Clark's  children,"  and  the  violin 
went  by  the  name  of "  Clark's  wife."  There 
were  some  who  wondered  whether  the  constant 
presence  of  an  "  old  bow,"  paying  Clark's  wife 
so  much  attention,  ever  made  trouble  in  the 
family ;  while  others,  when  this  was  hinted, 
would  say  contemptuously,  "  Fiddlesticks!  " 

After  Clark  had  stood  for  a  few  moments, 
gazing  fatherly  upon  his  children,  a  voice  came 
from  the  violin  like  unto  that  of  a  little  child 
singing  a  nursery  hymn.  Then  it  seemed  as 
though  other  children's  voices  joined  in,  so 
sweet  was  the  harmony  which  came  from  the 
instrument. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING. 


II. 

IT  did  not  appear  very  inviting  to  Clark  when 
he  entered  the  sleeping-car  at  Jersey  City. 
The  weather  was  warm  and  the  air  in  the  Pull- 
man hot  and  close.  Another  circumstance  which 
did  not  portend  comfort  and  a  good  night's  rest 
was  the  presence  of  a  family  in  which  were  two 
fretful  children  and  a  crying  infant.  The  father 
and  mother  were  doing  their  best  to  quiet  their 
little  ones,  but  met  with  no  success.  Some  of  the 
passengers  showed  bad  temper  and  worse  man- 
ners by  turning  around  and  frowning  continu- 
ally upon  the  children  and  parents. 

The  family  had  been  obliged  to  take  upper 
berths,  having  come  after  all  the  lowers  had 
been  engaged.  Now,  the  thought  of  the  mother 
occupying  an  upper  berth  with  a  little  baby 
made  Clark  feel  uneasy  ;  for,  he  reasoned, 
should  either  fall  from  that  "  second  story,"  se- 
vere injury  might  be  the  result.  He  soon  of- 
fered to  give  up  his  lower  berth  and  in  exchange 


6  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

take  one  of  the  uppers,  and  was  warmly  thanked 
for  his  thoughtfulness. 

When  the  time  arrived  for  him  to  ascend 
into  his  elevated  bed,  it  seemed  to  him  a  little 
like  climbing  up  a  tree  for  a  nap,  a  la  Robinson 
Crusoe. 

He  had  been  asleep  for  an  hour  or  so  when 
he  awoke  and  was  conscious  of  breathing  bad 
air.  Every  berth  was  occupied  ;  and  the  proper 
ventilation  of  a  well-filled  sleeping-car  is  one 
thing  which  inventors  have  not  yet  solved. 

Clark  sat  up,  put  his  head  out  from  between 
the  curtains  of  his  berth  and  looked  for  the 
colored  porter,  intending  to  request  that  a  door 
or  window  be  opened.  The  porter  was  dis- 
covered on  the  floor,  at  the  further  end  of  the 
car,  fast  asleep. 

Clark  thought :  "  I  can't  awake  him  at  this  dis- 
tance without  disturbing  some  of  the  sleeping- 
passengers.  I  might  throw  a  shoe  at  him  and 
attract  him  in  that  way  ;  but  unfortunately  I 
shall  have  to  slide  down  this  tree  to  get  one. 
I  '11  open  a  door  or  window  myself." 

He  partially  dressed,  descended  from  his 
lofty  bed,  walked  softly  to  one  end  of  the  car, 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL   ENDING.  7 

and  opened  the  door.  This  let  in  too  great  a 
rush  of  air  and  cinders,  so  he  shut  it  and  tried 
to  raise  a  window.  It  would  not  budge.  He 
tried  another  with  the  same  result.  Then  he 
went  softly  to  the  other  end  of  the  car  and  suc- 
ceeded there  in  opening  a  window.  The  cool 
mountain  air  was  very  refreshing,  and  Clark  sat 
there  for  some  time,  nearly  falling  asleep.  When 
he  started  to  return  to  his  berth  he  could  not, 
for  the  life  of  him,  remember  just  where  it  was 
located.  He  knew  it  was  near  the  centre  of 
the  car,  but  on  which  side  ?  He  tried  to  locate 
his  berth  by  his  hat,  which  he  had  hung  on  the 
outside,  but  there  were  a  number  of  hats  which 
looked  just  alike,  any  one  of  which  might  be 
his. 

"  If  I  could  only  see  the  inside  of  these  hats  I 
could  tell  mine  by  the  manufacturer's  brand. 
Or,  I  can  find  my  berth  by  drawing  aside  cur- 
tains, for  mine  will  be  empty  ;  but  I  shall  then 
run  a  risk  of  peeping  into  other  persons'  beds. 
I  '11  try  investigating  hats." 

Being  tall  he  had  no  difficulty  in  reaching  to 
where  the  hats  hung.  The  first  one  he  exam- 
ined was  new,  like  his  own,  and  had  the  right 
maker's  name  inside. 


8  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  Hit  it  the  first  time !  "  he  said  to  himself, 
and  then  proceeded  to  climb  up. 

"What  in  thunder  are  you  doing?"  fairly 
roared  a  gruff  voice  as  Clark  partially  entered 
what  proved  to  be  an  occupied  berth. 

"  Beg  your  pardon.  I  'm  mistaken,"  said 
Clark. 

"  You  are!  and  by  a  big  majority  !  I  have  a 
pistol  under  my  pillow  for  fellows  who  make 
such  mistakes.     You  got  off  cheap." 

"  I  '11  try  on  the  next  hat,"  thought  Clark.  "  I 
never  saw  so  many  new  hats  together  outside 
of  a  hat  store,  and  they  are  all  enough  alike  to 
be  brothers.  A  woman  could  tell  her  hat 
among  a  thousand,  but  alas!  for  poor  man!" 

Clark  was  going  softly  about  and  was  on  the 
point  of  reaching  for  another  hat  when  he  ob- 
served the  porter  was  watching  him. 

"I  'se  seen  yer!  I  'se  seen  yer!"  cried  the 
porter,  throwing  aside  a  blanket  and  standing 
up. 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  where  my  berth 
is,"  said  Clark. 

"  That  s  the  way  with  these  car-thieves.  They 
are  always  hunting  for  their  berths.     It 's  an  old 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  g 

game,"  said  a  voice  which  Clark  recognized  as 
belonging  to  the  man  who  slept  with  a  pistol 
under  his  pillow. 

Clark  was  angry  now  and  said : 

11  If  any  one  wishes  to  call  me  a  thief  let  him 
come  down  here!  " 

By  this  time  the  passengers  were  pretty  gen- 
erally awake ;  numerous  heads  appeared  from 
behind  the  curtains,  and  all  eyes  were "  fixed 
upon  the  car-thief.  Clark  was  amused  as  well 
as  angry  now — a  rather  unusual  combination. 

"I  tell  you  I  have  lost  my  berth,"  he  said. 

11  Advertise  for  it  in  the  New  York  Herald^ 
cried  one. 

"  Where  was  it  last  seen  by  you  ?"  inquired 
another. 

"Did  you  drop  it  in  the  car  or  lose  it  crossing 
the  ferry  ?" 

"  Is  it  gentle  and  kind,  or  will  it  bite? " 

11  What  color  was  it  ? " 

"  What  reward  do  you  offer  ?  " 

"Are  you  sure  you  did  not  pawn  it?" 

These  and  other  questions  were  put  in  rapid 
succession  by  several  young  men  whom  Clark 
took  to  be  commercial  travellers,  and  who  evi- 


IO  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

dently  saw  only  the  comical  side  of  the  loss  of  a 
berth. 

"  What  is  your  number?"  inquired  the  porter, 
when  the  other  cross-examiners  had  given  him 
a  chance  to  ask  the  question. 

"  I  don't  know.  I  exchanged  my  original 
berth,  which  was  lower  eight,  for  an  upper  near 
the  centre  of  the  car." 

By  this  time,  many  of  the  passengers  being 
thoroughly  convinced  that  a  car-thief  had  been 
going  the  rounds,  now  began  examining  their 
pockets,  etc.  Those  who  had  secreted  valuables 
under  mattresses  or  elsewhere,  were  not  satis- 
fied until  they  had  taken  an  inventory  of  their 
goods  and  chattels.  In  their  zeal  to  discover 
whether  or  not  they  had  been  robbed,  pillows 
were  overturned  and  came  tumbling  down,  and 
there  was  much  commotion  and  loud  talking. 
The  children  and  infant  soon  started  on  their 
crying  way,  and  Clark  was  greatly  exasperated 
upon  hearing  the  mother  remark  that  "  she 
would  never  have  taken  him  for  a  thief,  he 
looked  so  honest!  " 

One  man  said  the  proper  way  to  treat  car- 
thieves  was  to  lynch  them  on  the  spot,  and  that 


WITH  AH  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 1 

the  bell-rope  would  be  just  the  thing  to  do  it 
with! 

Several  voices  cried,  "  That  's  so !  " 
Clark  was  laughing  now  in  spite  of  the 
unpleasantness  of  the  whole  affair.  The 
porter  found  the  lost  berth,  and  assured  the 
passengers  that  "The  gentleman  was  all  right." 
Quiet  reigned  again,  and  Clark  slept  some  after 
this  ;  but  he  was  glad  when  day  dawned.  Soon 
after  seven  o'clock  the  black  smoke,  which 
hovers  over  Pittsburgh,  came  in  view,  and  half 
an  hour  later  Pittsburgh  itself. 

After  a  good  breakfast  at  the  hotel  Clark 
went  to  his  room,  opened  his  trunk,  and  took 
therefrom  his  violin.  He  soon  played  himself 
into  a  happy  frame  of  mind,  and  then  prepared 
for  business. 


12  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 


III. 

THE  firm  of  which  Clark  was  a  partner 
represented  certain  well-known  manu- 
facturing companies.  All  sales  were  made 
through  Dale  &  Clark,  that  firm  disposing  of 
the  entire  product  of  the  mills,  and  selling 
almost  exclusively  to  the  wholesale  trade. 

It  might  give  Clark's  trip  a  personal  aspect 
did  we  state  the  line  of  goods  handled  by  him, 
so  we  will  give  fictitious  names  to  the  articles 
to  be  sold,  for  the  goods  must  have  names, 
otherwise  Clark  will  not  be  able  to  transact 
business  satisfactorily.  The  staples  we  will  call 
hulls,  masts,  stays,  booms,  and  jibs,  and  the 
articles  of  which  he  carried  samples,  keels.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  these  names  are  of  a  nauti- 
cal turn,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that 
Clark  was  an  enthusiastic  yachtsman,  and  it  is 
right  that  his  tastes  should  be  consulted  in  this 
christening.  Besides,  the  names  are  appropri- 
ate from  the  fact  that  he  felt  all  at  sea  in  the 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 3 

role  of  commercial  traveller,  for  it  was  to  be  his 
first  experience  in  that  line. 

Each  particular  pattern  of  keel  had  a  number 
to  designate  it,  and,  as  before  stated,  the  sam- 
ples were  fastened  to  cards,  the  whole  making 
only  a  moderate  package. 

When  Clark  started  out  that  morning  to  call 
upon  the  wholesale  firms,  he  carried  the  sam- 
ples of  keels  with  him. 

Before  leaving  the  hotel,  he  had  £one  to  the 

o  '  o 

office  to  borrow  or  hire  an  umbrella,  for  to  him 
there  was  every  indication  that  there  was  to  be 
a  heavy  fall  of  rain  soon. 

"  What  in  the  world  do  you  want  with  an 
umbrella  ? "  inquired  the  clerk. 

"  It  is  as  black  as  ink  out ;  looks  as  though 
we  were  going  to  have  a  thunder-storm,"  said 
Clark. 

"  Thunder-storm  !  Why,  you  forget  you  are 
in  the  '  Smoky  City.'  This  is  a  clear  day 
for  us." 

Clark's  first  call  was  upon  one  of  the  leading 
Pittsburgh  firms,  and  he  received  a  pleasant 
welcome.  The  buyer  asked  to  be  excused  for 
a  short  time,  in  order  that  he  might  look  over 

2 


14  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

the  morning's  mail.  While  Clark  was  waiting, 
another  traveller  came  in,  and  another,  and  still 
another,  and  "  still  they  came,"  until  seven  rep- 
resentatives of  firms  dealing  in  similar  goods 
were  in  the  store.  The  buyer  introduced  Clark 
to  each  and  all  of  them.  Now,  for  seven  men 
to  be  assembled  in  one  store  for  the  purpose  of 
selling  to  one  man  seemed  to  Clark  to  be  a 
little  overdoing  matters.     He  thought : 

"  I  never  knew  before  that  salesmen  ran  in 
1  schools/  like  blue-fish." 

There  was  a  lively  conversation  kept  up, 
with  not  a  few  short  stories,  while  the  buyer 
was  engaged  with  the  mail.  The  travellers 
were  evidently  well  acquainted  with  each  other, 
and  entirely  at  home  in  that  store.  Instead  of 
having  come  there  as  competitors,  it  seemed 
more  like  a  meeting  of  old  friends  for  the  pur- 
pose of  having  a  friendly  chat  and  an  inter- 
change of  laughable  anecdotes. 

Having  finished  with  the  mail,  the  buyer — 
who  was  also  senior  member  of  the  firm — 
joined  the  party  and  said  :  "  Well,  gentlemen, 
I  don't  see  but  that  I  am  unusually  favored  this 
morning.     This  is  a  regular  ovation.     The  only 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  I  5 

difficulty  will  be  to  make  my  order  go  around. 
It  will  require  a  miracle,  for  what  would  it  be 
among  so  many  ?  " 

"  Let  's  draw  lots  !  "  suggested  one  traveller. 

"  Any  way  which  suits  you,  gentlemen,"  said 
the  buyer. 

"  You  might  issue  tickets  as  they  do  in  bar- 
ber shops,  letting  each  take  his  turn." 

"  And  then  get  shaved  !  "  said  the  buyer. 

"  Oh  !  "  came  in  chorus. 

"  Suppose  we  sing  *  Buy  and  Buy  '  as  appro- 
priate to  the  occasion." 

This  suggestion,  which  came  from  Clark, 
called  forth  another  "  Oh !  "  from  the  travellers. 

It  was  not  long  before  one  salesman  after  an- 
other dropped  out,  first  making  an  appointment 
to  call  later  in  the  day,  and  Clark  was  left  alone 
with  the  buyer.  After  some  conversation  not 
of  a  business  character,  Clark  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  buyer  expected  him  to  "  open 
fire"  on  the  topic  of  goods  and  prices. 

Clark  had  a  limited  experience  as  a  salesman 
at  home,  but  there  it  was  the  buyer  who  ap- 
proached the  salesman.  Now  that  the  tables 
were  turned  Clark  scarcely  knew  how  to  begin 
operations. 


1 6  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

As  a  commencement  he  asked  :  "  By  the 
way,  what  is  the  state  of  your  stock  at  the 
present  time  ?  " 

"  Pretty  comfortable,  thank  you  ;  how  is 
yours  ?  "  replied  the  buyer,  smilingly. 

"  So  as  to  be  about !  "  said  Clark. 

"  All  right.     Give  us  some  prices." 

"  Hulls  are  worth  twenty-two  cents,"  said 
Clark. 

"  That  's  news  !  I  have  n't  paid  certain  of 
your  competitors  over  twenty  cents  for  some 
time." 

"  Then  you  have  been  buying  goods  that  are 
inferior  to  ours.  You  know  our  hulls  are  much 
superior  to  the  general  run." 

"  That  's  the  case  with  everybody's.  'T  is 
like  the.  railroad  maps  and  circulars  gotten  up 
by  the  respective  lines :  Each  road  has  the 
safest  and  smoothest  track,  is  the  shortest, 
makes  the  best  time,  has  the  finest  scenery,  etc." 

The  buyer  did  not  say  this  in  a  disagreeable 
manner,  but  nevertheless  he  made  Clark  feel 
uncomfortable. 

"  You  will  admit,  I  suppose,  that  our  brand 
of  hulls  is  of  first-rate  quality?  "  queried  Clark. 

"  Of  course    I  will.      But   there   are   others 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 7 

which  we   can  buy  for  less  and  sell  for  just  as 
much.     That 's  the  story  in  a  nutshell." 

"  Then  I  can't  sell  you  any  hulls  ?  " 

"  Not  at  that  price." 

"  How  are  you  stocked  on  jibs  ?  " 

"  You  can't  touch  me  on  those.     I  'm  full." 

"  And  masts  ?  " 

"  Could  buy  a  lot  at  a  special  low  price." 

"  Well,  how  does  twelve  cents  seem  to  you?  " 

"  Not  as  low  as  eleven." 

"  I  cannot  sell  you  at  better  than  twelve,  and, 
to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief,  that  is 
as  low  as  you  can  buy  them  anywhere." 

"  Very  well,  we  will  not  dispute  on  that  point. 
I  can't  pay  you  over  eleven  cents." 

"Then  I  can't  sell  you  any  masts,"  said  Clark. 

Clark  now  proposed  showing  his  samples  of 
keels,  and  the  buyer  expressed  a  willingness  to 
look  at  them. 

"  What  is  the  price  of  28  ?  " 

"  One  twenty-five." 

"  I  would  like  to  show  you  one  of  the  same 
size  and  pattern  which  I  bought  at  one  fifteen 
from  Dickenson." 

"  You  must  know  that  Dickenson's  keels  are 
trash." 


1 8  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  They  sell  well." 

"  Yes,  very  likely.  But  that  is  n't  the  point. 
The  goods  are  miserably  made." 

"  All  we  can  afford  to  consider  is  the  differ- 
ence between  the  price  at  which  we  buy  and 
the  price  at  which  we  sell.  We  are  doing  busi- 
ness for  profit,  not  for  glory." 

Clark  found  he  was  not  getting  on  well  with 
this  buyer,  and  he  finally  lost  his  temper. 

"  When  we  have  any  thing  mean  and  cheap 
to  offer  you  we  will  mail  quotations,"  said  Clark. 

The  buyer  replied  :  "  Oh,  don't  trouble  your- 
self to  do  so." 

Clark  could  not  help  feeling  disturbed  by 
this,  his  first  experience,  as  a  commercial  trav- 
eller. Here  was  a  firm  which  had  been  dealing 
with  Dale  &  Clark  for  years,  and  yet  Clark, 
instead  of  obtaining  an  order,  had  simply  suc- 
ceeded in  antagonizing  the  buyer.  Clark  could 
not  believe  that  the  man  was  so  unreasonable 
as  to  expect  to  buy  superior  goods  at  the  same 
prices  as  common  goods.  Dickenson's  keels 
were  of  an  entirely  different  grade  from  Clark's, 
and  every  one  at  all  posted  knew  that  to  be  the 
case. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  19 

"  I  fear  I  showed  no  tact,"  thought  Clark,  as 
he  considered  the  matter.  "  I  was  undoubtedly 
too  ready  to  assert,  and  even  dispute.  I  should 
have  kept  cool  and  used  my  persuasive  powers, 
if  I  have  any." 

He  made  another  call ;  but  as  the  buyer  was 
already  engaged  with  a  salesman,  he  merely  in- 
troduced himself  and  said  he  would  call  on  the 
morrow.  He  met  with  a  like  experience  at  an- 
other house,  and  still  another,  until  this  hunting 
for  orders  seemed  to  him  a  good  deal  like  look- 
ing for  a  needle  in  a  hay-mow.  He  did  no 
business  that  day.  "  Fishing  for  orders  is  n't 
to  be  compared  to  blue-fishing,"  he  thought. 
"  The  fish  are  either  on  some  other  fellow's 
hook  or  else  they  will  not  bite  at  mine." 


20  A   COMMERCIAL    TRIP 


IV. 

WHEN  Clark  awoke  the  following  morn- 
ing it  was  pretty  dark,  though  the  sun 
had  been  up  over  an  hour. 

He  found  innumerable  black  specks  floating 
in  his  water-pitcher,  and  a  white  shirt,  in  which 
he  had  placed  studs  the  night  before,  and  left 
upon  a  chair,  bosom  upward,  was  also  covered 
with  the  same  description  of  blackness. 

Clark  had,  as  usual,  left  a  window  wide  open, 
and  the  soot  had  rained  in  and  covered  every 
thing. 

Now  had  he  been  a  Pittsburgher,  he  would, 
upon  discovering  those  black  specks  upon  his 
shirt-bosom,  simply  have  blown  or  shaken  them 
off.  What  he  did  do  was  this  :  he  took  a  towel 
and  attempted  to  brush  them  off.  Many  long, 
black  streaks  was  the  consequence. 

"  My  bosom  is  in  mourning!"  he  exclaimed, 
as  he  discarded  the  shirt  and  studded  another. 

After  breakfast,  as  it  was  still  too  early  for 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  21 

business  calls,  Clark  thought  it  would  be  pleas- 
ant to  cross  the  bridge  which  spans  the  Monon- 
gahela  River  near  the  hotel,  and  ride  up  to  the 
top  of  the  bluffs  on  an  inclined-plane  railway 
which  he  could  see  in  operation  from  the  hotel. 

"  It  is  a  dark  day.  I  can  hardly  believe  this 
is  nothing  but  smoke  and  soot ;  but  perhaps  it 
is.  I  will  not  again  display  my  greenness  by 
asking  for  an  umbrella." 

Thus  thought  Clark  as  he  stepped  out  upon 
the  sidewalk.  When  part  way  over  the  bridge 
he  stood  looking  down  into  the  water,  and  re- 
ceived a  dose  of  black  smoke  from  a  passing 
steamer's  smoke-stack. 

"  How  soon  the  white  sails  of  the  Fleetwing 
would  turn  black  here.  If  I  was  out  sailing  on 
the  Sound  and  saw  as  black  a  sky  as  this,  I 
would  either  shorten  sail  or  make  for  a  harbor, 
double  quick.  One  of  Pittsburgh's  mock 
thunder-storms." 

He  had  ceased  soliloquizing,  and  was  walking 
slowly  on  when  a  pouring  rain  set  in.  The 
wind  blew  great  guns  too.  The  bridge  was  not 
a  covered  one,  and  Clark  ran  at  his  best  speed 
all  the  way  back  to  the  hotel,  and  stood  before 


22  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

the  clerk  in  the  office  pretty  wet.  It  was  the 
same  clerk  who  had  smiled  when  Clark  had 
asked  for  an  umbrella  the  day  before. 

"  I  would  like  to  inquire  whether  there  is 
any  way  of  judging  any  thing  about  the  weather 
here  ?  "  said  Clark. 

"  Certainly  there  is,"  said  the  clerk  ;  "  if  you 
go  out  and  don't  get  wet,  it  is  a  pleasant  day  ; 
but  if,  as  in  your  case  this  morning,  you  come 
back  as  wet  as  you  are  now,  you  are  pretty  safe 
in  concluding  't  is  stormy — that  is,  unless  you 
have  fallen  into  the  river." 

"  Thank  you  for  the  information,"  said  Clark. 
"  I  am  Mad  to  know  how  to  tell !  Can  I  hire 
an  umbrella  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  the  boy  at  the  news-stand  has  them 
to  let." 

Clark  procured  an  umbrella  and  then  sallied 
forth  to  call  upon  those  dealers  with  whom  he 
had  appointments.  His  first  call  that  day  was 
upon  a  very  jovial,  whole-souled  man,  the  buy- 
ing partner  of  one  of  the  solid  Pittsburgh  firms. 
Clark  had  seen  him  but  a  moment  the  day  be- 
fore, but  now  found  him  disengaged  and  ready 
to  hear  prices  and  look  at  samples  of  keels. 


WITH  AN     UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  2$ 

There  was  no  badgering  at  all  on  the  part  of 
this  buyer.  He  merely  took  down  the  prices 
quoted,  and  asked  Clark  to  call  again  at  four 
o'clock.  He  also  invited  Clark  to  go  out  to 
East  Liberty  to  spend  the  night  with  him ;  but 
as  Clark  was  to  leave  for  Columbus  that  evening, 
this  invitation  had  to  be  declined. 

«  We  get  away  from  the  smoky  atmosphere 
out  there,"  said  the  buyer  ;  "  but  then  we  don't 
mind  the  smoke  much,  after  all." 

"  I  have  not  seen  the  sun  since  I  have  been 
here,  and  have  been  thinking  it  would  be  a  good 
speculation  to  go  into  the  balloon  business,  and 
charge  so  much  per  head  for  a  peep  at  that 
luminary,"  said  Clark. 

"  A  very  good  idea  !  "  said  the  buyer.  "  Ah  ! 
we  glory  in  our  smoke  !  When  the  sun  shines 
through  it  any  worth  mentioning  it  is  a  dark  day 
for  us,  for  it  shows  business  at  our  mills  is  dull. 
Although  we  are  under  a  cloud  most  of  the 
time  we  are  as  happy  as  most  mortals,  I  think." 

"  That  probably  arises  from  the  fact  that  you 
are  entirely  sooted  !  "  said  Clark. 

The  buyer  looked  at  the  perpetrator  of  this 
atrocious  pun  with  a  glance  which  seemed  to 


24  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

say  :  "  I  am  sorry  if  you  are  given  to  that  kind 
of  thing !  " 

Clark  saw  other  firms  that  day  but  was  not 
successful  in  making  sales.  There  were  too 
many  travellers  in  town,  Clark  thought,  and 
he  felt  himself  at  a  disadvantage,  being  a 
stranger  to  the  buyers.  He  was  undoubtedly 
too  modest  in  his  efforts,  and  he  knew  it  was 
largely  his  own  fault  that  he  had  not  succeeded 
in  obtaining  satisfactory  interviews  with  certain 
of  the  buyers.  In  truth,  he  felt  that  he  had  lost 
orders  by  default. 

At  four  o'clock  he  again  called  upon  the 
buyer  who  had  requested  him  to  do  so,  and  was 
given  several  sheets  of  paper,  which  contained 
liberal  orders  for  keels  as  well  as  for  staples. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING  2$ 


WHEN  he  went  to  the  depot  to  secure  a 
berth  on  the  sleeping-car  for  Colum- 
bus, he  found  a  woman  standing  in  front  of  the 
Pullman-Car  office.  She  had  just  commenced 
asking  questions,  and  the  agent  was  answering 
her  to  the  best  of  his  ability  and  with  all  due 
patience. 

"  Are  you  the  man  who  sells  sleeping-car 
tickets  ?  "  asked  the  woman. 

"  Yes,  madam,  I  am." 

"  Does  the  sleeping-car  run  through  to  where 
I  am  going  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  where  that  is  yet,  as  you 
have  n't  told  me." 

"  To  New  York.  I  live  there,  and  have  for 
ten  years.  Does  the  sleeping-car  run  all  the 
way  through  without  change  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  I  'm  glad  of  that.  How  much  will  it  cost 
me  for  a  berth  ?  " 


26  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  Two  dollars  and  a  half." 

"  Two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  That  is  very  high  !  Have  you  a  real  good 
berth  for  me?" 

"  Yes  ;  you  can  have  either  lower  six  or 
seven  on  train  leaving  Pittsburgh  at  eight 
o'clock." 

"  At  eight  to-night  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  How  long  does  it  take  to  go  to  New 
York?" 

"  You  will  arrive  there  about  ten  o'clock  to- 
morrow morning." 

"  Let  me  think !  When  I  came  out  here 
last  month,  I  left  at  six  in  the  evening  and  ar- 
rived here  about  eight  the  next  morning.  In 
what  part  of  the  car  are  the  berths  you  men- 
tioned I  could  have  ?  " 

"  Both  are  near  the  centre." 

"  Are  they  on  the  same  side  of  the  car  ?  " 

"  No,  madam — right  opposite." 

"  I  wish  I  knew  which  was  the  best  side  of 
the  car.     Can  you  tell  me  ?  " 

"  There  is  not  a  particle  of  differenc«." 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  2*] 

"  What  kind  of  persons  have  the  berths  next 
to  six  and  seven  ? — I  think  you  said  six  and 
seven  ;  did  n't  you  ?  " 

"  I  did  ;  but  I  don't  know  who  will  have  the 
adjoining  berths." 

"  Can't  you  find  out  ?  " 

"  No,  madam  ;  I  can't." 

"I  am  sorry  for  that,  because  I  am  told  all 
kinds  of  folks  travel  on  sleeping-cars,  and  I 
would  like  to  be  next  to  genteel  people.  There 
will  not  be  any  hard  wheels  under  me  ;  will 
there  ?  I  have  been  told  to  get  a  berth  away 
from  the  hard  wheels.  Will  there  be  any 
under  me  ?  " 

"  No,  madam  ;  the  wheels  are  near  ends  of 
car. 

"  What  kind  of  beds  are  there  ?  " 

"  Hair  mattresses." 

"  Hair,  did  I  understand  you  to  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  O  dear  me  !  I  prefer  feathers — am  more 
used  to  them." 

"  The  ticket,  madam,  will  be  two  dollars  and 
a  half.  Please  decide  what  you  will  do,  for 
there  are  several  others  waiting  until  you  are 
served." 


28  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  Two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  One  thing  I  forgot  to  ask  you  :  Can  myself 
and  daughter  sleep  comfortably  in  one  berth  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"  My  daughter  Sarah  is  a  pretty  large  girl. 
There  she  sits,  over  yonder.  Nothing  extra  to 
pay  when  two  occupy  a  berth  ?  " 

"  No,  madam." 

"  And  the  train  leaves  when  ?  " 

"  Eight  o'clock." 

"  To-night,  I  believe  you  said  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  What  time  have  you  now  ?  " 

"  Half-past  six." 

"  Is  that  railroad  time  ?  " 

"  It  is." 

<#  How  much  did  you  say  it  would  be  ?  " 

"  Two  dollars  and  a  half." 

"  Two  dollars  and  fifty  cents?  " 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  That  is  very,  very  high  for  a  bed.  I  guess, 
as  't  is  n't  a  feather  bed,  Sarah  and  I  will  sit  up. 
There  is  a  moon  to-night,  and  we  can  see  the 
mountains  by  moonlight." 


WITH  AN    UNCOMMERCIAL  NEDING.  29 

After  Clark  and  the  other  waiting  travellers 
had  secured  berths,  Clark  said  to  the  agent  : 

"  You  are  the  most  patient  man  I  ever  met." 

"  You  refer  to  that  questioner,  I  suppose. 
Well,  I  try  to  be  polite,  but  sometimes  I  lose 
my  temper.  Fat  men  give  us  lots  of  trouble 
when  we  have  nothing  left  but  upper  berths. 
Here  comes  one  now.  If  he  is  going  West  he 
will  have  to  take  an  upper,  for  I  'm  all  sold  out 
of  lowers." 

Clark  stood  aside  and  heard  the  following 
dialogue  : 

11  I  want  a  lower  berth  in  centre  of  car  for 
Cincinnati,  leaving  at  eight  to-night." 

"  I  'm  very  sorry,  but  we  have  nothing  left 
but  uppers.  I  can  give  you  an  upper  in  the 
centre  of  car." 

"  I  don't  want  an  upper,  and  won't  put  up 
with  one.  I  could  n't  sleep  a  wink.  You  surely 
would  n't  expect  me  to  climb  up  into  an  upper 
berth." 

"  Am  sorry,  but  I  have  nothing  else.  You 
will  have  a  step-ladder  to  assist  you." 

"  I  tell  you  I  won't  take  an  upper  berth. 
You  are  no  doubt  reserving  some  lowers  for 


30  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

others  who  have  engaged  them.     Change  and 
give  me  one." 

"  I  can't  do  it." 

"  Why  can't  you  ?  I  tell  you  I  could  n't 
sleep  a  wink  in  an  upper  berth.  I  '11  give  you 
a  dollar  extra  if  you  will  fix  me  all  right." 

"  I  am  not  taking  bribes.  All  the  lower 
berths  are  engaged.     First  come  first  served." 

"  Now  see  here  !  I  am  a  stranger  to  you,  but 
if  you  will  give  me  a  lower  berth  and  some  one 
else  an  upper,  you  won't  regret  it."  (This  was 
said  confidentially.) 

"  I  tell  you  I  have  no  lower  berth  for  you." 

"  And  you  won't  change  some  one  and  give 
me  a  lower  ?  " 

"  No." 

"Then  all  I  have  to  say  is  that  you  are 
mighty  unaccommodating,  and  I  '11  report  you 
to  the  Company.  The  idea  of  my  climbing  up 
into  an  upper  berth !  I  tell  you  I  could  n't 
sleep  a  wink  !  No,  sir,  not  a  single  wink  " — 
and  the  fat  man  walked  off,  very  angry,  and 
with  a  very  red  face. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  3 1 


VI. 

CLARK  returned  to  the  hotel,  had  supper, 
and  some  melody  from  his  violin,  and 
then  it  was  time  to  take  the  train  for  Columbus. 

When  he  entered  the  sleeping-car,  the  first 
person  he  saw  was  the  fat  man,  who,  it  seemed, 
had  concluded  to  take  an  upper  berth,  after  all. 
The  fat  man  was  removing  a  pair  of  fat  boots, 
and  the  porter  had  placed  a  small  step-ladder 
for  use  in  ascending  to  the  upper  berth. 

As  Clark  would  be  obliged  to  rise  by  two 
o'clock,  the  train  being  due  in  Columbus  half 
an  hour  later,  he  decided  to  follow  the  fat  man's 
example  and  go  to  bed  early. 

Clark's  berth  was  directly  opposite  the  fat 
man's,  whose  aldermanic  proportions  filled  up 
all  the  space  in  that  part  of  the  car ;  so  Clark 
seated  himself  in  the  drawing-room  to  wait 
until  the  large  man  should  ascend  into  the 
upper  berth. 

The  fat  man,  having  partly  prepared  himself 


32  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

for  repose,  with  some  display  of  clumsiness 
climbed  up,  and  Clark  heard  him  mumble  : 

"  I  shall  not  sleep  a  wink  !  No,  not  a  single 
wink ! " 

Clark  was  soon  in  bed,  and  fell  asleep  almost 
instantly,  and  dreamed  he .  was  aboard  the 
Fleetwing,  off  Montauk  Point,  surrounded  by  a 
great  school  of  porpoises,  which  were  puffing, 
blowing,  and  snorting  in  the  most  extraordinary 
manner,  even  for  porpoises.  The  dream  did 
not  last  long,  for  the  dreamer  soon  awoke. 

"  No  wonder  I  had  that  dream !  The  fat 
man,  who  could  n't  sleep  a  wink,  is  the  cause  of 
it.  Well,  when  he  said  he  could  n't  sleep  a 
wink  he  didn't  tell  a  lie,  for  no  one  winks  when 
asleep.  Now,  if  he  had  said  he  could  n't  sleep 
qztietly,  he  would  have  hit  it  exactly." 

Clark  had  never  before  heard  such  snoring 
as  that  which  came  from  the  fat  man.  It  was 
an  unhappy  combination  of  puffing,  blowing, 
and  snorting,  and  the  snort  proper  was  so  loud 
that  the  noise  made  by  the  moving  train  seemed 
profound  silence  in  comparison.  Clark  soon 
found  that  he  was  not  the  only  passenger 
who  was  awake  and  receiving  the   benefit  of 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  33 

the  fat  mans  concert,  for  some  one  called  out  : 

"  For  goodness'  sake,  porter,  do  turn  that 
elephant  over  occasionally,  and  I  '11  give  you  a 
dollar  in  the  morning." 

"  I  second  the  motion — of  turning  " — cried 
Clark,  "  and  will  add  my  subscription  of  a 
dollar." 

Another  voice  cried  : 

-Ditto!" 

The  porter,  glad  of  the  chance  for  making 
such  good  fees,  tried  the  turn-over  process  and 
found  it  a  dangerous  experiment  ;  for  the  fat 
man,  upon  being  touched,  awoke  instantly  and 
said  in  tones  most  emphatic  : 

"  Just  try  that  again,  if  you  dare  !  I  am  away 
from  home,  and  propose  having  my  snore  out ! 
My  wife  is  the  only  person  who  has  the  priv- 
ilege of  interfering  with  me  in  this  matter.  Now 
that  you  have  woke  me  up,  I  shall  not  sleep  a 
wink  ;  no,  not  a  single  wink !  " 

But  he  was  soon  at  it  again,  as  fiercely  as 
ever,  and  no  one  disturbed  him. 

There  Clark  lay,  wishing  he  might  fall  asleep 
again  in  spite  of  the  fat  man's  snoring. 

He  thought : 


34  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  I  wonder  some  one  has  not  invented  a 
sleeping-car  with  snore-proof  compartments. 
Then,  when  any  one  went  to  the  ticket-agent 
or  conductor  for  a  berth,  the  question  could  be 
asked  :  '  Do  you  snore  ? '  and  the  traveller  be 
located  according  to  his  reply.  The  trouble 
would  be  that  very  few  persons  will  ever  admit 
that  they  snore.  Some  will  go  so  far  as  to  say 
that  they  breathe  a  little  hard  sometimes,  but  I 
never  yet  met  an  habitual  snorer  who  would  ad- 
mit that  it  was  a  regular  thine  with  him." 

As  Clark  lay  there,  wide  awake,  thinking  of 
various  things,  his  thoughts  finally  turned  to  a 
late  bachelor  friend  by  the  name  of  Day,  who 
had  just  married  a  lady  much  younger  than 
himself.  Now,  Clark  had  one  very  bad  habit — 
namely,  that  of  rhyming.  Not  that  he  thought 
himself  a  poet,  or  that  he  wrote  bachelor  love- 
ditties  commencing  in  some  such  familiar 
strain  as 

"  Precious  darling,  how  I  love  thee  ! 
Love  thee,  darling,  oh  so  much  ! 
Search  the  world,  my  precious  dearie, 
I  '11  not  find  another  such  !  " 

No !     Clark's  verses  were  of  an  entirely  dif- 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  35 

ferent  character,  being  rather  practical  than 
otherwise.  He  had  sometimes  found,  too,  that 
his  rhyming  made  him  sleepy.  He  would  try 
the  effect  now.  So,  as  he  lay  there  thinking  of 
Day,  and  wishing  at  the  same  time  that  the  fat 
man  would  wink  more  and  snore  less,  the  fol- 
lowing beautiful  verses  came  into  his  poetic 
brain  : 

HAPPY   DAYS. 

Now,  I  should  say  that  Mrs.  Day 

Was  not  a  Day  past  twenty  ; 
While  Mr.  D.  is  forty-three, 

(The  difference  is  a  plenty  !) 


If  Mr.  D.  and  wife  agree 
And  try  to  please  each  other, 

The  match  may  prove  a  happy  move 
For  one  as  much  as  t'  other. 


But  if,  alas  !  it  comes  to  pass, 
That  one  the  other  bothers, 

Time  will  come  yet  they  '11  both  regret 
They  ever  left  their  mothers  ! 


So  let  us  pray  that  Mr.  Day 
May  ne'er  indulge  in  snarling, 

That  Mrs.  D.  may  always  be, 
As  now,  his  "  precious  darling.' 


36  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

That  joy  and  peace  may  never  cease, 

With  Days  and  years  increasing  ; 
But  may  each  year  find  both  more  dear 

And  love  prove  never  ceasing. 

But  most  we  pray  that  neither  may 
Snore  like  this  sleeping  fat  man, 
For  if 

"  Good-night,  Day.  I  wish  you  joy.  Many 
happy  returns  !  " 

Clark  had  fallen  asleep,  and  was  dreaming  of 
Day's  wedding  festivities  ;  so  the  rest  of  the 
poem  is  forever  lost  to  the  world. 

How  sad ! 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  37 


VII. 

TIME  to  get  up  for  Columbus."  The 
porter  of  the  sleeping-car  had  accom- 
panied this  summons  with  a  mild  punch  in 
Clark's  side.  Clark  arose  forthwith  and  dressed. 
At  half- past  two  the  train  entered  the  depot  at 
Columbus,  and  Clark  took  a  hack  to  the  hotel. 
He  was  on  the  point  of  registering,  when  the 
clerk  said  : 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  say  that  we  are  full, 
every  bed  being  occupied.  We  put  up  cots  in 
the  parlors  and  halls,  and  the  last  of  these  is 
taken.     There  is  a  convention  here." 

"  How  far  is  it  to  the  next  hotel  ?  "  asked 
Clark. 

"  Only  two  blocks.  You  might  possibly  find 
accommodations  there,  but  it  is  doubtful." 

Clark  went  to  this  hotel,  but  there  was  no 
bed  for  him.  He  was  told  of  still  another  hotel 
not  far  away,  and  thither  he  went,  with  little 
hope,  however.     When  he  entered  this  third 


38  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

house,  he  saw  at  a  glance  that  it  was  a  very 
common  place. 

"  Can  I  obtain  a  room  here  ?  "  he  inquired  of 
a  man  in  the  office  who  had  a  very  red  nose 
and  bloodshot  eyes. 

"  There  's  one  bed  with  two  rooms  in  it, 
— hie.  I  mean  two  beds  with  one  room  in 
them, — hie." 

"  You  mean  one  room  with  two  beds  in  it,  I 
suppose  ;  but  from  what  I  see,  I  think  you  are 
pretty  full  here  too,"  said  Clark. 

Another  man  now  appeared  and  said  : 

"  Here,  Jim,  you  go  to  bed  right  away,  quick! 
I  '11  show  the  gentleman  up."  Then  turning 
to  Clark,  he  said  : 

"We  are  overrun  this  wc  1:.  There  is  one 
room  on  the  top  floor  in  which  there  are  two 
beds,  and  only  one  is  occupied.  You  can  have 
one  of  the  beds,  if  you  don't  object  to  rooming 
with  a  stranger." 

"  Do  you  know  the  man  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  he  is  a  country  merchant.  He  s  all 
right." 

Clark  decided  to  take  what  was  offered  him. 
He  was  tired  and  sleepy,  and  thought  that  any 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  39 

thing  in  the  way  of  a  bed  would  be  preferable 
to  sitting  up  the  remainder  of  the  night. 

"  Wait  till  I  get  a  candle,"  said  the  man. 

Soon  they  were  on  their  way  to  the  room. 
Clark  followed  the  man  through  a  long  hall, 
then  through  a  narrow  passage,  then  up  a  steep 
flight  of  stairs,  another  passage-way,  another 
flight  of  stairs,  more  halls,  more  stairs,  more 
passage -ways,  and  so  on  and  on. 

It  seemed  a  great  deal  like  exploring  a  cave, 
for  there  was  no  light  to  be  seen,  save  that  of 
the  lone,  flickering  candle,  and  the  turnings 
were  many  and  strange.  At  last  the  guide 
called  out :  "  We  are  almost  there,"  and  then  a 
draught  put  out  the  candle. 

"  Have  you  a  match  about  you  ?  "  asked  the 
guide. 

Clark  searched,  but  found  none,  so  he 
answered  : 

"  I  have  not." 

"  Neither  have  I." 

"Then  we  are  lost !"  said  Clark. 

"Well,  see  here,  stranger,  't  is  n't  such  a 
joking  matter.  I  have  been  here  only  a  few 
weeks,  and  to  tell  you  the  truth,  it  would  puzzle 


40  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

me  a  good  deal  to  find  my  way  back  without  a 
light." 

"  What  do  you  propose  doing  ?  "  asked  Clark. 

"  Well,  we  are  on  the  top  floor,  and  can't  be 
a  great  way  from  the  room  we  want.  The  man 
in  it  probably  has  matches.  Now,  let  me  think 
a  minute.  Here  's  the  top  of  the  stairs.  Now 
by  going  on  to  the  end  of  this  hall,  then  to  the 
left,  and  a  short  turn  to  the  right,  I  think  we 
shall  fetch  it.  If  we  don't  hit  it  the  first  time, 
we  '11  come  mighty  close  to  it.  Oh,  we  '11 
find  it." 

"  Go  on,  my  brave  man.  I  '11  follow  thee," 
said  Clark. 

They  went  feeling  their  way  along  for  a  while, 
and  then  the  guide  said  : 

"  I  don't  think  we  are  on  the  right  track  after 
all.     I  'm  sort  of  turned  around." 

"  I  should  think  you  would  have  light-houses 
here  and  there.  If  we  can't  find  the  room,  I 
suppose  we  must  drop  anchor  and  '  lay  to  '  till 
daylight." 

They  had  proceeded  into  the  cave  a  little 
farther  when  the  guide  stopped,  gave  a  stamp, 
and  exclaimed  :  "  What  a  fool  I  am!" 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  4 1 

"  What  's  the  matter  now  ?  "  asked  Clark. 

"  Nothing — only  I  had  forgotten  about  this 
man.     No  trouble  to  find  him  !     Just  listen  !  " 

"  I  hear  a  noise  like  unto  the  united  efforts  of 
a  number  of  swine,"  said  Clark. 

"  That  's  him!  " 

"  It  never  rains  but  it  pours — that  is,  he 
never  breathes  but  he  snores,"  muttered  Clark. 

"  Do  you  object  to  rooming  with  a  man  who 
snores  ?  "  queried  the  guide. 

"  Have  you  a  lounge  anywhere  upon  which  I 
can  lie  down?"  asked  Clark,  instead  of  an- 
swering the  guide's  question. 

"  Yes,  down-stairs  in  the  parlor  there  's  one. 
But  we  must  get  some  matches.  You  don't 
want  to  take  that  bed,  then?  " 

"  No,  I  thank  you.  I  had  a  taste  of  this 
kind  of  thing  on  a  sleeping-car  to-night." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  you  ever  heard 
any  one  snore  like  this  before  ?  " 

"  No  ;  not  just  in  this  style.  This  is  more 
suggestive  of  stile,  more  a  la  swine  than  any 
thing  I  ever  heard  before,"  said  Clark. 

"  I  suppose  he  will  think  it  is  a  trifle  strange 
to  be  woke  up  for  matches  at  this  time  of 
night,"  said  the  guide. 


42  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  I  should  think  it  likely  !  Do  you  know  the 
man  well  ?  " 

u  Yes,  he  used  to  board  at  the  Sun  Hotel  in 
Dodgeville  when  I  was  clerking  there.  I  have 
met  him  only  once  since  I  came  here." 

"  Well,  knock  away!  " 

The  guide  rapped  gently. 

No  answer,  but  the  man  snored  on. 

The  guide  knocked  harder,  and  again  still 
harder,  and  soon  there  was  a  change  in  the  style 
of  the  person  within,  the  grunts  becoming  less 
regular,  and  at  last  he  awoke. 

"  Who  's  there  ?  " 

"  Me  ;  Jack  Hart." 

"  I  don't  know  you." 

"  Yes,  you  do.    I  used  to  work  at  the  \  Sun.' " 

("  I  '11  warrant  he  wishes  you  were  at  the  sun 
now,"  whispered  Clark.) 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want,  anyhow  ?  " 

"  I  want  some  matches." 

"  Matches !  What  do  you  mean  by  bother- 
ing me  for  matches  at  this  time  of  the  night !  I 
don't  believe  you  are  Jack  Hart.  What  is  my 
name  ?  " 

"  Smith." 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  43 

("  That  was  n't  a  hard  conundrum  ;  any  one 
could  have  guessed  that,"  said  Clark,  softly.) 

"  Who  is  that  other  fellow  with  you  ?  " 

"  A  traveller  from  the  East." 

("  You  should  have  said  a  wise  man  from  the 
East,"  again  whispered  Clark.) 

"  What  's  he  doing  along  with  you,  any- 
how ?  " 

"  That  is  a  tough  question  and  it  will  take  a 
world  of  explanation,"  whispered  Clark. 

"  That  s  a  fact!  "  said  the  guide. 

"  If  you  tell  him  just  how  and  why  I  happen 
to  be  here,  and  that  I  don't  like  his  style  of 
snoring  it  may  make  him  mad,  and  then  he  will 
not  give  us  any  matches.  Tell  him  you  were 
showing  me  to  a  room  and  the  candle  went 
out." 

The  guide  so  stated. 

"  What  does  all  this  whispering  mean,  I  'd 
like  to  know.  I  believe  you  are  a  couple  of 
sneak  thieves  or  worse.  I  '11  poke  some 
matches  through  the  keyhole,  and  then  you  fel- 
lows just  git ! " 

When  the  guide  had  received  the  matches 
and  lighted  the  candle  he  again  led  the  way, 


44  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

and  in  the  course  of  time  they  were  out  of  the 
cave. 

Clark  lay  down  on  a  lounge  in  the  parlor  and 
was  soon  fast  asleep,  not  awakening  till  eight 
o'clock. 

He  made  a  hasty  toilet  in  the  "  wash-room," 
paid  his  bill,  and  then  went  to  the  hotel  where 
he  had  first  applied  for  accommodations. 

There  had  been  a  number  of  departures  by 
the  morning  trains,  and  Clark  was  given  a  large 
and  handsomely  furnished  room.  He  had  an 
excellent  breakfast,  and  this,  together  with  his 
pleasant  room  and  a  short  intercourse  with  his 
precious  violin,  soon  put  him  in  good  spirits. 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  45 


VIII. 

CLARK'S  business  experiences  in  Colum- 
bus are  not  worthy  of  special  notice. 
He  did  very  little  there,  and  was  glad  when 
the  time  came  to  move  on  to  Cincinnati. 

The  train  for  Cincinnati  arrived  at  Columbus 
from  the  East  one  hour  late,  and  continued  to 

lose  time  after  leaving  Columbus.  It  was  one  a.m. 
<_> 

when  Clark  reached  his  destination.  He  had 
telegraphed  for  a  room,  and  was  given  very 
pleasant  quarters. 

"  Now,  I  '11  have  my  sleep  out  this  time.  I 
have  n't  averaged  six  hours  out  of  the  twenty- 
four  so  far  on  this  trip,  and  I  feel  used  up," 
thought  Clark,  as  he  put  out  the  gas  and 
opened  the  window  before  getting  into  bed. 
He  slept  soundly  until  about  five  o'clock,  when 
he  awoke,  and  with  one  bound  sprang  out 
of  bed  with  the  exclamation  :  "  The  house 
is  on  fire!  "     The  next  moment  he  had  grasped 


46  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

his  violin,  expecting  to  have  to  run  for  its  life 
and  his  own.  The  room  was  filled  with  smoke 
almost  to  suffocation,  but  Clark  now  discovered 
that  the  source  of  all  the  trouble  was  a  large 
chimney  across  the  street,  out  of  which  was 
pouring  dense  volumes  of  soft-coal  smoke.  It 
was  a  rainy  day,  and  this  smoke  seemed  to 
make  a  bee-line  for  Clark's  open  window.  He 
also  discovered  that  his  spasmodic  cry  of 
"  The  house  is  on  fire ! "  was  making  trouble, 
for  the  occupant  of  an  adjoining  room — a 
woman — was  now  screaming  :  "  Fire !  fire  !  " 
at  the  top  of  her  voice. 

In  a  twinkling  there  was  great  commotion  in 
the  house  ;  many  took  up  the  cry  of  "  Fire ! 
fire !  "  and  the  screaming  and  general  con- 
fusion was  something  which  Clark  will  never 
forget. 

He  had  closed  his  window,  and  now,  in  his 
bare  feet,  and  with  a  linen  duster  thrown  over 
his  night-gown,  was  in  the  hall,  where  he 
beheld  men,  women,  and  children,  many  of 
them  in  more  scant  attire  than  himself,  rushing 
about.  Some  were  carrying  their  clothes,  and 
all  were  bent  upon  leaving  the  rapidly  burning 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  47 

building  as  hastily  as  their  legs  would  permit. 

"  The  fire  is  out !  No  danger !  It  's  all 
right !  "  cried  Clark,  as  he  ran  through  the 
halls,  "  up  stairs  and  down  stairs,  and  in  other 
persons'  chambers,"  trying  to  quiet  the  panic- 
stricken  guests.  He  succeeded  pretty  well,  and 
by  the  time  the  steam  fire-engines  came  flying 
up  to  the  hotel  comparative  quiet  reigned 
again. 

"  After  all  this  row  of  my  own  manufacture  I 
don't  believe  I  shall  have  my  sleep  out,  after 
all,"  thought  Clark.  He  found  he  was  too 
wide-awake  to  sleep  any  more,  and  so  dressed 
and  went  down  stairs.  It  was  too  early  for 
breakfast,  and  he  took  a  walk  across  the  bridge, 
to  Covington,  Ky.,  and  return.  When  he  went 
in  to  breakfast,  every  one  was  talking  about 
the  fire.  The  fact  that  there  had  really  been 
no  fire  was  not  yet  known  to  the  guests,  and 
poor  Clark  was  obliged  to  hear  conversation 
like  the  following  : 

"  How  fortunate  it  was  that  the  fire  was  put 
out  before  it  made  much  headway." 

"  Yes.  In  what  part  of  the  house  was  the 
fire  anyhow  ?  " 


4#  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  I  don't  know." 

".If  it  had  n't  been  for  that  lady,  who  first 
discovered  it,  giving  the  alarm  so  promptly,  we 
might  have  all  been  burned  up." 

"  That  s  a  fact.  But  that  tall  man  in  a  long 
duster  showed  great  presence  of  mind,  and 
quieted  the  frantic  ones  before  the  fire  was 
really  out." 

"  So  I  understand.  Do  you  know  his 
name  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't.  He  ought  to  have  a  vote  of 
thanks  from  the  guests.  We  must  lead  in  the 
matter,  and  find  out  who  he  is."   ■ 

Thus  did  the  conversation  run  on,  and  Clark 
felt  more  sheepish  every  moment.  He  would 
not  have  been  surprised  had  the  wool  come 
out  all  over  him.  In  fact  he  did  actually  say, 
"  Bah  !  "  and  left  the  table  without  eating  much 
breakfast.  As  he  entered  the  hotel  office  a 
bell-boy  handed  him  a  note.  It  was  a  re- 
quest from  the  proprietor  to  call  at  the  private 
office. 

Clark  called  forthwith.  Of  course  it  was 
about  the  fire.  The  occupant  of  the  room 
adjoining  Clark's  was  a  sister  of  the  proprietor, 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  49 

and  she  had  told  her  brother  about  Clark's  cry 
of  "  The  house  is  on  fire  !  "  The  proprietor 
wanted  to  know  what  it  all  meant.  Clark  ex- 
plained. The  host,  who  was  of  goodly  propor- 
tions, leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  laughed 
until  Clark  feared  one  person  would  yet  be 
seriously  injured  by  the  fire.  When  the  pro- 
prietor had  subsided,  he  said  to  Clark  : 

"  Don't  be  distressed  over  this  matter.  Your 
fire  has  done  no  damage.  On  the  contrary,  it 
has  been  a  good  thing;  for  the  fire-hose  with 
which  this  house  is  supplied  has,  through  your 
agency,  been  found  to  be  unfit  for  use.  The 
very  servants,  too,  whose  duty  it  is  to  turn  fire- 
men on  such  an  occasion,  rushed  to  their  rooms 
to  save  their  personal  effects,  and  some  of  them 
left  the  hotel  on  a  run  and  have  not  yet  re- 
turned.    I  suppose  they  are  running  yet !  " 

Clark  went  to  his  room,  and,  taking  up  his 
violin,  played  "  Scotland's  Burning " ;  after 
which  he  ran  into  something  more  classic,' 
and  then,  samples  in  hand,  he  went  forth  to 
solicit  orders. 


50  A   COMMERCIAL    TRIP 


IX. 

eLARK  again  went  through  the  experience 
of  finding  himself  one  among  many 
salesmen,  all  bent  upon  presenting  the  merits 
of  their  respective  wares,  in  the  most  favorable 
light  possible,  to  the  various  buyers. 

During  the  morning  he  met  no  less  than  nine 
salesmen  representing  firms  competing  with  his 
own,  and  while  he  was  familiar  with  the  saying, 
"  Competition  is  the  life  of  trade,"  he  could  not 
help  feeling  that  it  would  have  been  more 
agreeable  to  have  had  less  "  life  "  and  fewer 
competitors  in  town  that  day. 

He  mused  :  "  I  thought  I  knew  what  com- 
petition was,  but  a  few  days'  experience  as  a 
commercial  traveller  has  taught  me  that  we 
who  remain  at  home  know  very  little  of  how 
our  travellers  have  to  work  and  scheme  for 
trade." 

Clark  did  nothing  that  morning  further  than 
to  have  short  conversations  with  several  buy- 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  5  I 

ers,  two  of  whom  appointed  certain  hours  in 
the  afternoon  for  looking  at  samples  of  keels 
and  hearing  prices. 

With  one  exception  all  the  buyers  were  very 
courteous  and  sociable.  Their  offices  were 
thrown  wide  open  to  the  visiting  salesmen,  all 
who  called  were  invited  to  be  seated,  and  every 
thing  was  conducted  in  a  pleasant  manner.  In 
one  office  Clark  was  told :  "  I  'm  sorry  to  be 
obliged  to  put  you  off  till  Monday,  but  we  will 
be  glad  to  figure  with  you  then,  at  eleven  in  the 
morning,  if  that  hour  will  suit  you.  If  you  have 
any  writing  to  do  there  is  a  desk  here  at  your 
disposal." 

Another  buyer  said :  "  There  are  several 
salesmen  ahead  of  you,  Mr.  Clark,  but  I  shall 
have  finished  with  them  this  morning.  If  you 
will  call  at  two  o'clock  I  shall  be  ready  for  you. 
Or,  come  to  lunch  with  me  at  one  o'clock  and 
after  that  we  can  transact  our  business." 

Clark  accepted  the  invitation,  and  the  lunch 
proved  to  be  a  most  palatable  repast.  After 
this,  buyer  and  seller  returned  to  the  store  and 
Clark  took  a  good  order,  without  a  hitch. 
Everywhere  there  was   a   genuine   hospitality 


$2  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

shown  Clark  in  Cincinnati,  with  one  exception. 

This  "  Exception "  to  the  heartiness  and 
agreeableness  of  Cincinnati's  buyers  was  a  man 
who,  instead  of  having  an  office  where  com- 
mercial travellers  could  be  comfortably  seated 
while  transacting  business,  had  a  little  place 
fenced  in,  kept  sacred  for  his  own  use,  the 
salesman  standing  on  the  outside  of  the  sanc- 
tum. It  was  a  wire  office,  and  the  man  inside 
had  a  somewhat  savage  countenance.  Alto- 
gether there  was  considerable  of  a  caged- 
animal  air  about  the  wire  enclosure. 

To  be  sure,  there  was  a  place  in  another  part 
of  the  store,  where  travellers  were  sometimes 
invited  to  display  their  samples,  when  numer- 
ous, the  caged  animal  then  coming  out  to  de- 
vour them — the  samples,  not  the  travellers4. 

Clark  called  on  this  person  at  about  four 
o'clock.     The  man  was  in  his  cage,  writing. 

Clark  waited  a  few  moments  before  intro- 
ducing himself,  and  as  he  looked  at  the  man  he 
thought  of  lines  in  a  Primer,  as  follows  : 

"  This  is  a  Bear.  He  is  in  his  Cage.  If  you 
put  your  Hand  in  the  Cage  He  will  Bite  you  !  " 

Clark  presented  his  card.     The  man  looked 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL    ENDING.  53 

at  it,  said  "  In  a  minute,"  and  kept  on  writing. 
Clark  waited  uneasily  for  fully  five  minutes,  and 
then  said : 

"  Can  you  give  me  a  few  moments'  attention  ? 
If  not,  I'll  go." 

The  man  in  the  cage  looked  up,  and  said  in 
a  patronizing  tone  : 

"  Well,  sir,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

Now,  Clark  interpreted  this  "  Well,  sir,  what 
can  I  do  for  you  ?  "  thus  : 

"Well,  sir,  what  do  you  want?  You  are  here 
in  distress,  and  have  come  to  ask  a  favor.  I  'm 
weary  of  beggars  !  "  so  Clark  said  : 

"  Oh,  I  'm  not  in  any  trouble.  I  'm  neither 
hungry,  thirsty,  nor  sick,  and  I  m  pretty  well 
off  for  clothes." 

The  man  in  the  cage  appeared  somewhat 
startled  at  this  reply,  and  looked  sharply  at 
Clark. 

Then  he  said  : 

"  I  suppose  you  are  here  to  sell  goods.  If 
you  have  any  specially  low  prices  to  quote, 
let  's  have  them." 

Clark  gave  quotations  on  hulls  and  other 
goods,  and  the  man  in  the  cage  said  : 


54  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  I  think  you  have  something  back  of  these 
prices,  something  lower." 

The  man  had  gaped  continually  while  hear- 
ing Clark's  figures,  so  when  the  man  questioned 
the  prices,  Clark  could  not  resist  saying  : 

"  A  man  with  as  open  a  countenance  as  you 
have  should  not  be  suspicious." 

The  man  in  the  cage  looked  sharply  at  Clark 
again  but  probably  did  not  see  the  drift  of  the 
remark. 

"  I  have  my  samples  of  keels  with  me,"  said 
Clark. 

"  Don't  care  to  look  at  them.  Am  full.  But 
if  you  will  give  me  five  per  cent,  off  of  the  price 
you  quoted  on  hulls,  I  '11  buy  some." 

"  I  don't  want  your  order  at  any  different 
price  than  that  which  I  named,"  said  Clark. 

The  man  then  said  that  Clark  could  send 
such  and  such  a  quantity  of  several  articles,  but 
he  fought  for  lower  prices  on  every  thing. 
During  all  this  transaction  the  man  in  the  cage 
had  occupied  a  large  arm-chair,  Clark  having  to 
stand  outside  meanwhile — very  mean  while,  he 
thought. 

This  was  Clark's  first  and  last  experience  on 


'    WITH  AN    UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  55 

his  trip  of  being  treated,  as  he  thought,  rudely. 
The  other  buyers  of  Cincinnati  had  been  so 
very  hospitable  and  pleasant  that  the  actions  of 
the  man  in  the  cage  stood  out  all  the  more 
glaringly. 

One  buyer  had  named  five  o'clock  that  after- 
noon for  Clark  to  call. 

This  person  would  have  been  able  to  have 
given  Clark  his  undivided  attention,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  telephone.  Clark  was  interrupted 
by  calls  from  that  little  bell  four  or  five  times 
within  half  an  hour,  and  he  wished  the  tele- 
phone had  never  been  invented.  It  was  cer- 
tainly far  from  pleasant  when,  as  the  buyer 
was  apparently  ready  to  begin  giving  an  order, 
some  one  should  wring  the  order  from  Clark's 
grasp,  so  to  speak,  by  simply  ringing  that  little 
bell.  Then,  too,  the  conversation  at  the  tele- 
phone was  necessarily  uninteresting  to  Clark, 
by  reason  of  its  one-sidedness — as  for  example  : 

Ding-a-ling-a-ling ! 

"  Well,  who  is  it  ?  " 

"  Can't  understand  you." 

"  Talk  louder." 

"  Now  I  get  you." 


$6  A    COMMERCIAL   TRIP 

"  Well." 

-What's  that?" 

-Oh!" 

"  Yes." 

"  When  ?  " 

«  I  11  try." 

"  No." 

«  Well." 

"  Can't  say." 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Will  if  I  can." 

"  Not  at  all." 

"Is  that  really  a  fact ?  " 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  " 

"  Can't." 

"  Good-bye." 

Clark  did  no  business  with  this  person,  and 
he  firmly  believed  that  the  telephone  was  the 
cause  of  his  failure. 

One  buyer  whom  he  met  that  day  had  nu- 
merous large  photographs  of  commercial  trav- 
ellers hanging  on  the  walls  of  his  office.  He 
called  this  his  "  Art  Gallery,"  forgetting,  per- 
haps, that  the  commercial  traveller  is  the  most 
artless  of  mortals ! 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  57 

In  the  evening,  Clark  was  one  of  a  party  of 
eight  commercial  travellers  who  took  supper 
together  at  the  hotel. 

Clark  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  his  fel- 
low "  tourists  "   at    Pittsburgh  and  Cincinnati. 

They  all  went  in  company  to  the  theatre  that 
evening,  to  see  a  celebrated  English  actor. 


5 8  ,4    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 


X. 

"  n  "  AM  thankful  to-morrow  will  be  Sunday. 

JL  No  talking  to  be  done  for  a  while  over 
quality  of  goods  and  prices.  I  '11  go  to  Louis- 
ville by  steamer  Monday  night,  and  so  shall  have 
no  long  car  rides  until  I  leave  Louisville  for  In- 
dianapolis. Commercial  travelling  is  the  hardest 
business  I  ever  got  into.  What  with  travelling 
at  night  to  make  time  and  working  all  day  to 
make  sales,  there  isn't  much  time  for  any  rest." 

Clark  was  ruminating  ;  but  he  did  not  spend 
much  time  in  this  way.  He  was  tired  and 
sleepy,  having  had  three  successive  poor  nights. 
After  a  little  music  from  his  violin  he  went  to 
bed  and  was  soon  asleep,  his  last  thoughts  being 
that  he  was  glad  he  should  not  have  to  hear  any- 
thing about  business,  goods,  or  prices  on  the 
morrow. 

When  he  awoke  the  following  morning  he 
found  that  he  had  been  mistaken  in  thinking  he 
should  have  a  quiet  Sunday,  free  from  all  hints 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  59 

of  business,  for  two  commercial  travellers,  of  the 
Jewish  persuasion,  and  both  of  them  in  the 
clothing  line,  occupied  the  rooms  on  each  side 
of  him.  They  had  already  commenced  receiv- 
ing customers  and  were  setting  forth  the  merits 
of  their  wares  most  eloquently.  From  the  loud 
tones  of  one  of  these  salesmen,  Clark  judged 
there  was  a  deaf  customer  to  be  dealt  with. 
Now,  Clark  could  have  no  reasonable  grudge 
against  these  people  for  doing  business  on  Sun- 
day. It  was  not  their  Sabbath.  Still,  before  he 
had  heard  them  in  operation  long,  he  went  down 
to  the  office  and  asked  to  have  his  room  changed. 
The  clerk  seemed  surprised,  and  said: 
11  We  cannot  give  you  as  pleasant  a  room  any- 
where else.  What  objection  have  you  to  your 
present  quarters  ?  " 

"  The  room  is  very  pleasant ;  but  I  want  to 
spend  a  quiet  Sunday." 

"  Is  it  particularly  noisy  where  you  are?  " 
"  It  might  be  worse.  But  can't  you  give  me 
a  room  not  next  door  to  any  salesmen  who 
should  keep  Saturday  instead  of  Sunday.  Un- 
derstand, I  am  not  finding  fault  with  my  neigh- 
bors, who  are  Jews,  for  working  to-day.     Not 


6o  A   COMMERCIAL   TRIP 

at  all — but  I  would  prefer  to  be  where  I  can 
read  and  write  in  peace  to-day." 

The  clerk  gave  Clark  another  room  which, 
though  two  flights  higher  up,  was  pleasant 
enough. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  soon  after  nine 
o'clock  Clark  started  off  for  a  long  walk,  with 
the  intention  of  attending  church  wherever  he 
might  find  himself  at  the  proper  hour.  He 
crossed  the  Ohio  over  a  fine  bridge,  and  within 
half  an  hour  was  fairly  in  the  country.  It  was 
a  very  pretty  country,  too,  with  its  quaint  Ken- 
tucky homes,  and  fields  of  waving  corn.  Soon 
a  village,  or  perhaps  it  was  a  city,  came  in  view. 
There  was  no  scarcity  of  churches,  and  the  bells 
were  ringing  for  the  last  time.  Clark  being  an 
Episcopalian  made  inquiries  of  a  person  he  met, 
and  was  directed  to  the  church  of  that  denomi- 
nation. 

When  he  entered  this  church  the  organist  was 
playing  the  voluntary  and  Clark  recognized  the 
piece  as  being  a  selection  from  that  very  churchly 
composition,  namely :  the  Opera  of  Faust! 
"  Alas,"  thought  Clark,  "  have  I  indeed  run  afoul 
of  one  of  those  churches  where  the  organist 


WITH  AN    UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  6 1 

and  choir  try  to  spread  themselves  ?  It  looks 
very  much  like  it.  There's  the  quartette,  with 
their  sheets  of  music,  looking  very  important!  " 

The  voluntary  being  ended  what  a  change, 
what  a  contrast  to  this  secular  music,  when  the 
minister  pronounced  in  solemn  tones:  "The 
Lord  is  in  his  Holy  Temple  ;  let  all  the  earth 
keep  silence  before  him,"  Faust  still  ringing  in 
the  ears  of  the  congregation  ! 

The  music  for  the  Venite  executed — more 
properly  murdered — by  the  choir  that  morning 
was  a  very  intricate  composition.  Sung  by  a 
good  quartette,  it  is  a  treat  to  any  lover  of  good 
music  to  listen  to  it. 

Clark  was  familiar  with  the  music,  and  although 
he  had  never  been  considered  a  nervous  man, 
he  felt  very  much  on  edge  when  they  launched 
out  on  this  Venite ;  for,  from  the  start,  it 
was  plain  there  were  no  singers  in  that  choir. 
Were  the  congregation  not  familiar  with  the 
service  they  could  not  have  told  in  what  lan- 
guage the  choir  were  trying  to  sing,  the  words 
were  mumbled  and  jumbled  together  in  so  fan- 
tastic a  fashion. 

There  was  not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  tell- 


62  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

ing  who  was  the  leader  of  the  choir,  for  the  basso 
was  always  perceptibly  ahead!  There  were 
some  bad  breaks,  but  at  last  in  a  hop-skip-and- 
jump  style,  the  choir  finished  the  Venite>  and 
the  congregation  gave  a  great  sigh  of  relief. 
Even  the  minister  looked  easier.  There  was 
whispering  now  going  on  in  the  choir,  and  Clark 
turned  his  head  in  that  direction  a  moment.  He 
concluded  the  situation  was  about  as  follows: 
The  organist  was  affirming  solemnly  that  he 
was  all  right.  The  basso  was  hinting  the  tenor 
was  at  fault.  The  tenor  knows  he  was  O  K 
but  is  certain  the  basso  was  n't.  The  soprano 
and  contralto  were  too  much  put  out  with  each 
other,  and  with  everybody  else,  to  venture  say- 
ing any  thing,  but  their  looks  spoke  volumes. 

The  music  for  the7>  Deum,  the  next  im- 
portant piece  on  the  programme,  was  also  a 
difficult  composition,  with  many  twists  and  pit- 
falls. There  is  one  portion  of  it  which  sounds 
very  much  like  an  old-fashioned  school  "  round." 
In  the  part  referred  to,  one  singer  starts  up,  then 
another,  and  another,  and  so  on  until  each  mem- 
ber of  the  quartette  is  doing  his  or  her  best  to 
keep  in  the  crooked  path  laid  out.     Clark  was 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  63 

again  on  edge,  for  he  knew  of  the  traps  set  in 
this  piece  to  ensnare. 

"  I  wonder  how  the  soprano  will  manage  those 
high  notes  in  her  solo,"  he  thought.  "  She  is 
getting  into  dangerous  waters.  The  waves  grow 
higher  farther  out  at  sea.  Wait  till  she  strikes 
the  high  C."     It  was  a  squeal,  but  she  did  it. 

Now  they  were  coming  to  the  "  round,"  and 
entered  boldly  ;  but,  lo !  while  in  the  middle  of 
this  part  the  organ  sighed,  groaned,  gave  one 
unearthly  scream,  and  then  refused  to  respond 
to  the  touch  of  the  organist.  The  blowers — 
two  boys  who  had  shown  themselves  between 
the  pieces — had  let  the  wind  out.  Perhaps 
they  had  quarrelled,  and  ceased  blowing  in 
order  that  they  might  have  free  use  of  their 
arms  and  fists  for  blows  of  a  different  kind. 

Both  basso  and  tenor  rushed  behind  the 
organ,  but  the  boys  were  pumping  again  with 
all  their  might. 

The  Te  Deum  went  on  minus  the  "  round," 
but  no  further  intricate  music  was  attempted 
that  day,  and  Clark  was  surprised  to  find  that 
the  choir  could  stoop  so  low  as  to  sing  some 
good  old  chants  and  hymns. 

Clark  sang,  and  others  near  him  joined  in 


64  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

with  their  voices  until  the  choir  were  pretty 
effectually  drowned.  Indeed,  the  whole  con- 
gregation gradually  warmed  up  and  sang — a 
state  of  things  which  Clark  believed  was  not 
often  permitted  in  that  church. 

Had  the  choir  not  broken  down  in  the  Te 
Deiim,  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  they  would 
have  condescended  to  sing  any  thing  in  which 
the  "  common  people  "  could  join. 

After  the  sermon,  Clark  began  his  return 
tramp  to  Cincinnati.  For  a  short  distance  he 
was  entertained  by  a  discussion  over  the  music, 
carried  on  by  two  men  who  were  walking  just 
ahead  of  him. 

"  There  's  no  use  in  our  standing  this  attempt 
at  operatic  music  any  longer,  and  I  for  one 
mean  to  put  my  foot  down  on  it  at  once." 

"  It  is  disagreeable,  but  I  fear  't  will  make  a 
row  in  the  parish  if  we  stir  the  matter  up." 

"  Well,  let  it.  I  wish  to  goodness  we  had 
never  got  the  new  organ  ;  then  our  organist 
would  never  have  tried  to  give  us  the  opera, 
nor  the  singers  attempted  to  ape  expert  city 
choirs." 

Clark  heard  no  more  of  this  conversation,  for 
the  men  had  turned  off  into  a  side  street. 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING,  65 


XL 

HIS  first  call,  Monday  morning,  was  upon  a 
firm  doing  business  in  a  handsome  five- 
story  building  near  the  hotel.  He  was  told  by  one 
of  the  clerks  that  the  buyer  was  to  be  found  in 
the  rear  office.  As  Clark  entered  this  office  he 
saw,  seated  at  a  desk,  a  person  whom  he  sup- 
posed to  be  the  buyer,  and  so  presented  the 
card  of  Dale  &  Clark,  saying  as  usual  :  "  My 
name  is  Clark." 

The  individual  addressed  did  not  even  look 
up,  but  kept  his  head  down,  at  the  same  time 
having  one  hand  raised  as  if  to  shield  his  eyes 
from  the  light. 

.  Clark  imagined  the  man  was  deaf,  so  he 
raised  his  voice  :  "  My  name  is  Clark,  of  the 
firm  of  Dale  &  Clark." 

The  man  placed  a  hand  to  one  ear — still 
shielding  his  eyes  with  the  other  hand — and 
said  :  "  A  little  louder,  please." 

Clark  braced  himself,  took  a  long  breath,  and 


66  A   COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

in  such  a  tone  as  he  might  have  employed  in 
hailing  a  distant  vessel,  cried  out  :  "  My  name 
is  Clark,  of  the  firm  of  Dale  &  Clark." 

"  Beg  your  pardon,  but  did  you  say  your 
name  was  Stark  ?  " 

"  No  ;    Oarkr— C-1-a-r-k." 

"  Oh,  Lark.     Well,  go  on." 

The  man  still  kept  his  hand  in  front  of  his 
eyes,  and  Clark  felt  very  much  embarrassed. 

"  I  am  making  a  business  trip  for  our  firm," 
howled  Clark. 

"  Making  a  trip  for  fun,  did  you  say  ?  "  asked 
the  man. 

Clark  gave  himself  an  extra  brace  and  yelled  : 
"  No !     I-am-making-a-trip-for-our-firm." 

"  Whose  firm  ?  " 

"  Dale  &  Clark." 

"  Oh,  now  I  understand  you.  Beg  your  par- 
don. A  competitor  of  yours  is  here  to-day,  and 
we  are  intending  to  give  him  a  large  order  for 
every  thing  which  we  need  in  your  line — so 
there  is  no  chance  for  you  !  " 

This  was  a  strange  speech,  and  Clark  was 
much  taken  aback.  The  deaf  man  continued  : 
"  The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  we  need  lots  of 


WITH  AN    UNCOMMERCIAL   ENDING.  6? 

goods,  car-loads,  in  fact.  If  you  had  come  a  few 
days  earlier,  and  offered  to  sell  to  us  at  seventy- 
five  per  cent,  less  than  any  one  else  would,  we 
might  have  bought  a  train-load  of  you." 

Clark  was  puzzled  still  more,  and  began  to 
think  the  man  was  drunk. 

"  We  will  look  into  matters,  however,  in  the 
course  of  a  week  or  two,"  continued  the  man, 
"  and  in  the  meantime  please  call  in  to  see  us 
twice  a  day." 

This  was  strangec  Clark  could  not  seem  to 
find  words  for  utterance,  but  stood  almost  as 
motionless  as  a  statue.  The  man  still  held  his 
hand  over  his  eyes,  so  that  Clark  could  see  very 
little  of  his  face,  and  after  a  short  pause,  said  : 
"  Have  a  seat,  Mr.  Lark.  You  '11  find  a  Cin- 
cinnati paper  here  not  over  a  month  old.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  hours  I  '11  talk  to  you. 
Don't  be  in  a  hurry." 

Clark  now  looked  about  him  for  the  first  time, 
and  saw  that  the  book-keeper  and  several  other 
persons  in  the  office  were  shaking  with  laughter. 

The  deaf  man  looked  up  and  held  out  his 
hand  to  Clark,  saying  :  "  Old  messmate,  how 
are  you  ?  " 


63  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

He  was  not  the  buyer  at  all,  nor  was  his 
hearing  bad.  He  was  a  jocular  friend  with 
whom  Clark  had  made  a  cruise  the  summer  be- 
fore in  the  Fleetwing,  and  had  come  to  Cincin- 
nati to  attend  a  wedding.  He.  was  to  leave  for 
New  York  that  afternoon.  Clark  was  now  in- 
troduced to  the  real  buyer — a  cousin  of  Clark's 
friend, — who  proved  to  be  a  very  agreeable 
man.  He  gave  Clark  a  good  order,  and  invited 
him  to  dinner.  It  was  a  good  dinner,  too,  and 
Clark  enjoyed  it. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  69 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CLARK  had  finished  his  business  in  Cin- 
cinnati, and  was  aboard  the  Louisville 
steamer. 

This  boat  had  a  large  number  of  passengers 
aboard.  Clark  went  to  the  clerk's  office,  and 
was  given  a  key  to  a  state-room.  Upon  open- 
ing the  door  he  was  surprised  to  find  another 
person's  luggage  in  the  room.  Returning  at 
once  to  the  office,  he  said  to  the  clerk  : 

"  You  have  made  a  mistake,  giving  me  a 
room  which  is  already  occupied." 

"No  mistake  about  it  at  all.     We  can't  gave 

o 

a  passenger  a  room  to  himself  when  the  boat  is 
as  full  as  it  is  to-day.  If  we  did,  half  the  pas- 
sengers would  sit  up.  There  are  two  berths 
in  each  room." 

"  I  supposed  I  paid  for  my  room  and  was  en- 
titled to  it." 

"  No,  sir.  There  is  no  extra  charge  for 
rooms  or  meals.     You    paid   your  fare,  which 


70  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

entitles  you  to  a  berth,  but  not  to  a  whole 
room." 

"  I  thought  you  ran  these  boats  the  same  as 
is  done  on  the  Sound,  and  other  Eastern 
routes, — that  is,  charged  so  much  for  passage, 
and  an  additional  dollar  or  more  for  a  room.  I 
don't  want  to  room  with  a  stranger,  and  would 
rather  pay  double  fare,  and  will  do  so  if  you 
give  me  a  room  to  myself." 

"  Every  thing  is  taken  except  one  room  in  a 
pretty  warm  part  of  the  boat.  You  can  have 
that." 

"  I  '11  take  it,"  said  Clark.  "  How  much  more 
shall  I  pay  you  ?  " 

"Nothing  extra." 

When  he  entered  this  room  it  was  pretty 
warm.  The  floor  was  almost  hot  to  the  touch, 
the  boilers  being  directly  underneath. 

He  was  disappointed  to  find  no  wash-bowl 
nor  water  in  the  room. 

He  again  went  to  the  clerk,  and  reported 
there  were  no  conveniences  for  washing,  and 
requested  that  basin,  water,  and  towels  be  sup- 
plied. 

"  We  don't  furnish  such  things  in  the  rooms," 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  /I 

said  the  clerk,     "  You  will  find  a  wash-room  in 
connection  with  the  bar  and  barber-shop." 

Clark  found  his  way  to  the  wash-room. 
Long  towels,  already  much  soiled,  hung  on  roll- 
ers, and  he  saw  at  once  that  his  best  plan  was 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  barber.  Clark 
went  to  his  state-room  and  got  out  his  soap, 
brush,  and  razor,  and  was  soon  on  the  best 
terms  with  the  barber,  who,  while  shaving 
Clark,  gave  an  account  of  his  experiences  during 
the  "  wan." 

He  had  been  a  slave  in  Alabama,  but  ran 
away  the  first  year  of  the  conflict,  arriving 
North  safely.  But  although  he  found  himself 
his  own  master,  liberty  proved  to  have  many 
hardships,  and  he  was  so  homesick  to  see  his 
wife  and  children,  that  he  made  several  at- 
tempts to  return  to  "  de  ole  plantation." 

Finally  he  was  "  gobbled  up  by  de  Union 
pickets."  An  army  officer  took  a  fancy  to  him, 
and  made  him  body-servant.  He  remained 
with  this  officer  till  the  close  of  the  war,  and 
then  went  in  search  of  his  family,  finding  them 
safe  and  sound  on  the  old  plantation  ;  but  "  ole 
massa"  had  been  killed  in  one  of  the  last  bat- 


72  A    COMMERCIAL   TRIP 

ties,  and  the  estate  had  changed  hands.  "  With 
massa  gone  dead,  an'  de  kind  missus  and  all  de 
kind  children  gone  away,  I  se  mos'  heart- 
broken, and  we  could  n't  stay  thar  no  mo' ;  so 
we  came  to  Louisville,  an'  we  are  doin'  right 
smart,  sah  !  "  concluded  the  barber. 

During  Clark's  stay  in  the  barber-shop,  the 
steamer  had  been  going  down  the  river  rapid- 
ly, and  when  he  went  out  on  deck  the  high, 
green  banks  of  the  "  Old  Kentucky  Shore " 
stood  forth  in  all  their  beauty.  It  reminded  him 
of  the  beautiful  Connecticut  up  which  he  had 
sailed  in  the  Fleetwing.  Many  pretty  houses, 
with  broad  verandas,  dotted  the  Kentucky  side 
of  the  river,  and  there  was  nothing  wanting  to 
make  it  a  perfect  river  scene,  save  the  presence 
of  sailing  craft.  Not  a  sail  did  Clark  see. 
Probably  the  swiftness  of  the  current  and  the 
numerous  shoals  prevent  yachting  to  any  extent 
on  the  Ohio.  Clark  now  began  to  feel  hungry. 
On  going  into  the  main  saloon,  he  saw  supper 
was  already  in  progress.  He  took  a  seat  be- 
tween two  gentlemen,  and  as  he  did  so  he  no- 
ticed that  some  of  those  at  the  table  looked 
at  him  rather  sharply  for  a  moment.     Clark  was 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  73 

astonished  to  find  such  a  sumptuous  repast  as 
the  one  now  spread  before  him.  He  was  hun- 
gry, and  enjoyed  the  good  things  very  much. 
It  was  a  very  lively  company,  too,  and  Clark 
thought  that,  for  a  chance  collection  of  trav- 
ellers, they  seemed  very  well  acquainted  with 
each  other.  The  conversation  was  spirited  and 
often  witty.  When  wine  of  various  kinds,  in- 
cluding champagne,  began  to  flow  freely 
around  that  table,  Clark  was  more  astonished 
than  before. 

"  Why,  this  is  a  long  way  ahead  of  ocean 
travel ! "  he  thought. 

The  wine  having  been  discussed,  certain  per- 
sons were  called  upon  for  speeches. 

"  I  wonder  no  writer  has  ever  given  us  an 
account  of  how  they  do  things  on  Ohio  River 
steamers,"  thought  Clark.  "  Here,  for  the  small 
sum  of  three  dollars,  you  can  travel  miles  and 
miles, — no  charge  for  state-rooms,  and  an  oppor- 
tunity given  for  every  passenger  to  get  drunk 
on  the  best  of  wines  !  I  don't  see  how  there 
can  be  a  cent  in  it,  the  way  some  of  these  men 
drink  !  " 

But  the  first  speech  was  now  being  made, 
and  a  crowd  had  gathered  around  the  table. 


74  A   COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

The  captain  and  others  connected  with  the 
Louisville  Packet  Line  were  thanked,  "  in  the 
name  of  the  Common  Council  of  Cincinnati,  for 
the  pleasant  excursion  and  bountiful  repast," — 
and  then  Clark  longed  to  find  a  hole  into  which 
he  might  drop  out  of  sight,  for  he  had  unwit- 
tingly seated  himself  at  a  table  to  which  only  a 
favored  few  had  been  invited!  The  regular 
supper  for  the  passengers  had  not  yet  com- 
menced. At  first  he  thought  he  ought  to  arise 
and  explain,  but  decided  it  would  be  the  wiser 
plan  to  keep  quiet  and  sit  it  out.  He  was  relieved 
when  the  last  speech  had  been  made  and  the 
party  arose  and  dispersed. 

Clark  again  went  forward  and  enjoyed  the 
scenery  very  much.  Gradually  there  were  less 
and  less  of  habitations,  and  at  a  point  where  no 
dwelling  was  to  be  seen  the  steamer  took 
aboard  four  passengers.  The  party  consisted 
of  a  very  old  man  and  woman,  and  a  younger 
couple  verging  on  fifty.  It  soon  became  whis- 
pered around  that  these  were  two  newly  mar- 
ried couples,  starting  out  on  their  wedding  jour- 
ney to  Louisville.  Clark  could  credit  this  report 
so  far  as  it  related  to  the  younger  couple, — 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  75 

though  he  thought  they  were  old  enough  to 
know  better, — but  the  other  pair  appeared 
anything  but  bridal.  All  four  found  seats  near 
Clark,  and  fell  in  with  an  acquaintance  to  whom 
the  old  man  told  the  whole  story  of  their  court- 
ship, speaking  in  tones  which  could  be  heard 
by  all  on  the  forward  deck.  The  old  man  said  : 
"  You  see,  we — thet  is  me  and  the  old  woman 
— hed  no  idee  of  sich  a  thing  as  gettin'  spliced 
till  one  day  Jeemes  let  on  thet  he  was  sorter 
smit  with  Maria.  Maria,  you  know,  is  the  name 
of  her  gal,  and  Jeemes  is  my  boy.  Wal,  Maria, 
by  the  way,  is  forty-seving  or  tharabouts, — 
can't  tell  'zackly,  'cause  she  's  a  woman, — haw! 
haw  !  haw  ! — and  Jeemes  he  's  forty-nine  come 
November.  Wal,  my  wife  thet  now  is  did  n't 
take  to  partin'  with  her  gal,  no  how,  and  I 
did  n't  like  to  let  my  boy  go.  Could  n't  spare 
him  now  thet  I  own  no  nigger.  The  United 
States  oughter  pay  me  for  thet  nigger.  Wal, 
sez  I  to  Mrs.  Jorkins  thet  then  was,  but  now  is 
Mrs.  Rangley — haw !  haw !  haw  ! — sez  I :  '  Mrs. 
Jorkins  '  (her  old  man  's  been  gone  these  thirty 
years),  sez  I  :  '  Mrs.  Jorkins,  thar  's  just  one  way 
of  a-flxin'  this  'ere  bizness,  and  thet  is  for  you 


?6  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

to  hitch  on  to  me.  My  house  is  big  enough  fer 
all  on  us,  an'  I  hev  a  right  smart  lot  of  pigs  and 
things,  and  forty  acres  in  corn  to  fatten  'em  on. 
Let  's  all  git  spliced  to  onct,  and  live  at  my 
house  like  the  Happy  Family  we  've  hearn  of 
at  Barnum's  ! '  '  Thet  ain't  no  bad  idee,'  sez 
Mrs.  Jorkins  thet  then  was,  but  now  is  Mrs. 
Rangley — haw  !  haw  !  haw  ! — '  an'  I  '11  feel 
Maria  on  the  subjec',  an'  if  she  sez  do  it,  why  it 
don't  make  no  'ticular  difference  to  me,  and  I  '11 
be  thar ! '  Well,  Maria,  it  seems,  sez,  \  Take 
him  up  ! '  and  she  tuck  me  up  ;  and  here  we  all 
is,  right  from  the  'squire's ;  and  I  think  it  's  a 
good  'rangement — don't  you  ?  "  There  was  a 
chorus  of  yeses  and  not  a  little  merriment 
when  the  old  man  closed  his  story. 

When  Clark  got  into  his  narrow  bed  he 
found  it  very  warm  and  very  hard.  If  he 
opened  the  door  which  communicated  with  the 
deck  it  would  let  in  the  cool  air,  but  there 
would  be  nothing  to  prevent  a  thief  from  com- 
ing in  and  robbing  him.  "  I  '11  leave  the  door 
open  a  while,  but  will  not  go  to  sleep  without 
closing  and  locking  it,"  thought  Clark.  But  he 
did  fall  asleep,  though  it  was  an  accident,  and 


With  an  uncommercial  ending.        ?f 

when  he  awoke  the  next  morning  his  door  was 
as  he  had  left  it,  wide  open,  and  the  steamer 
was  lying  quietly  at  the  Louisville  levee. 

Clark  had  put  his  waistcoat,  in  a  pocket  of 
which  were  his  watch  and  money,  under  the 
mattress.  This  was  safe,  but  he  looked  in  vain 
for  his  pantaloons. 

Nothing  else  was  missing,  but  he  would 
almost  have  preferred  to  have  had  his  watch 
taken  just  then  than  those  trousers.  He  called 
one  of  the  colored  waiters,  who  came  and 
listened  to  Clark's  tale.  The  colored  boy  re- 
ported the  loss  to  the  clerk,  and  that  official 
came  and  condoled  with  Clark,  reminding  him 
at  the  same  time  that  to  leave  an  outside  door 
open  on  a  steamer  containing  all  kinds  of  peo- 
ple was  a  very  risky  thing  to  do. 

"  As  I  have  no  other  suit  with  me  my  best 
plan  will  be  to  send  some  one  up-town  to  pur- 
chase a  pair  of  pantaloons,"  said  Clark. 

"  I  can  lend  you  a  pair,  if  you  will  accept 
them.  Then  you  can  make  your  own  selection 
at  some  store,"  said  the  clerk. 

Clark  took  in  the  size  of  the  clerk,  and  con- 
cluded there  would  be  some   trouble  getting 


78  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

into  the  pantaloons,  but  nevertheless  said  : 
"  Thank  you  ;  I  will  accept  yours  gladly.  But 
perhaps  mine  may  be  somewhere  on  deck  or 
elsewhere  on  board.  The  thief  most  likely 
wanted  them  for  the  contents  of  the  pockets 
and  may  have  thrown  them  in  some  corner." 

"  I  '11  have  a  thorough  search  made, "said  the 
clerk.     "  Was  there  much  in  the  pockets  ?  " 

"  Very  little.  A  knife,  some  loose  change, 
and — goodness  ! — the  keys  to  my  trunk  and 
valise." 

"  That 's  unfortunate,"  said  the  clerk. 

"  For  the  thief?" 

"  Well,  I  was  thinking  of  your  keys — but 
V  was  a  poor  haul  for  the  thief !  I  '11  have  that 
search  made  at  once." 

Nothing  was   found   of  the   stolen   articles. 
The  clerk's   pantaloons  proved  to  be  of  very 
limited  dimensions  for  Clark.      They  were  sev 
eral  inches  too  short,  and  several  degrees  too 
tight. 

"  Are  they  a  success? "asked  the  clerk,  open- 
ing the  door  a  little. 

"A  limited  success,"  said  Clark  ;  "  but  I  am 
thankful  for  them  all  the  same." 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  ?Q 

Clark  entered  a  hack,  and  was  driven  to  a 
clothing-  store,  where  he  tried  on  and  on,  but 
did  not  find  a  fit.  Finally  the  clothier  said  he 
could  make  Clark  a  pair  in  the  course  of  the 
day. 

"  What  am  I  to  do  in  the  meantime  ?  "  asked 
Clark.  y. 

"  Oh,  I  'II  lend  you  the  nearest  fitting  of  these 
until  to-morrow  morning." 

Clark  selected  the  goods,  was  measured,  and 
then,  arrayed  in  another  pair  of  borrowed 
pantaloons,  went  to  the  hotel  and  had  break- 
fast. After  this,  he  hunted  up  a  locksmith.  It 
took  over  an  hour  to  fit  keys  to  valise  and 
trunk,  but  when  this  was  at  last  accomplished 
Clark  gave  a  little  time  to  his  violin,  and  was 
then  ready  for  business. 

i 

i 
> 


80  A    COMMERCIAL   TRIP 


XIII. 

ALL  the  Louisville  merchants  whom  Clark 
met  that  day  were  Southern  men,  save 
one.  This  exception  was  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Vogel,  who  was  by  birth  a  Pennsylvania 
Dutchman.  Vogel  had  lived  in  Louisville  for 
the  past  fifteen  years,  but  he  still  spoke  English 
in  a  manner  peculiar  to  his  tribe. 

Vogel  was  the  buying  partner  of  a  prosper- 
ous Louisville  firm.  It  was  toward  the  close  of 
the  day  when  Clark  called  upon  him.  The 
Dutchman  chanced  to  speak  of  his  old  home  in 
Pennsylvania.  Clark,  who  had  several  times 
gone  trouting  in  the  county  in  which  Vogel 
formerly  lived,  had  considerable  to  relate  which 
was  interesting  to  the  Dutchman — who  with 
great  fervor  exclaimed  again  and  again. 

-Veil!  veil!     Ish  dot  so  !  " 

Nothing  short  of  Clark's  going  to  supper  and 
spending  the  night  at  Vogel's  home  would  suf- 
fice. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  8 1 

Vogel  lived  a  distance  of  nearly  six  miles  in 
the  country.  It  was  a  splendid  drive,  and  a 
smart  span  of  horses,  owned  by  Vogel,  soon 
carried  them  to.  the  Dutchman's  home.  As 
they  drove  up  to  the  house  Clark  noticed  the 
great  number  of  cabbages  growing  in  the  gar- 
den ;  enough  to  supply  the  whole  city  of  Louis- 
ville, he  thought. 

"  Dot  ish  mine  gabbage  orchard"  said  Vogel, 
who  then  explained  that  he  had  a  large  family. 

It  was  a  rather  peculiar  supper  to  which 
Clark  sat  down  that  evening. 

The  substantials  consisted  of  fried  fresh  pork, 
boiled  cabbage,  sauer-kraut,  and  Limburger 
cheese — very  old. 

Not  one  of  these  things  was  exactly  a  favorite 
dish  with  Clark,  but  he  was  very  hungry,  and 
ate  heartily,  trusting  that  his  usual  good  diges- 
tion would  hold  out. 

It  did  not,  however,  for  he  went  to  bed  feel- 
ing very  much  as  though  he  had  been  dining  on 
lead. 

Being  tired  he  soon  fell  into  an  uneasy  sleep 
and  had  strange  visions,  culminating  in  a  singular 
dream  which  we  venture  recording  here. 


82  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

He  was  a  boy  again — a  bad  boy,  too,  having 
run  away  from  school  to  go  a-fishing.  He  was 
in  the  woods  and  had  a  pole  and  line  but  no 
hooks,  having  by  accident  swallowed  the  latter, 
which  were  giving  him  much  pain. 

He  sat  down  by  a  little  waterfall,  beneath 
which  he  was  sure  trout  were  lying  in  wait. 
The  bad  boy  was  wondering  how,  having 
"  played  hooky,"  he  could  come  into  possession 
of  the  articles  which  were  necessary  to  enable 
him  to  do  some  real  hooking. 

Suddenly  a  wagon  stopped  close  to  him  and 
the  bad  boy  heard  the  driver  say  :  "  Veil !  veil ! 
Ish  dot  so  !  " — and  the  bad  boy  recognized  the 
face  and  voice  of  Vogel. 

Being  told  to  jump  into  the  wagon  the  bad 
boy  did  so,  and  sat  down  upon  an  enormous 
Limburger  cheese. 

The  wagon  was  loaded  with  these  great 
cheeses  and  barrels  of  sauer-kraut. 

In  his  vision  the  bad  boy  saw  pails  of  sauer- 
kraut and  Limburger  cheeses  growing  as  flowers 
by  the  wayside  ;  and  some  lines  came  into  his 
head,  running  as  follows  : — 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  83 

"  By  roadside  way,  yea  all  about, 

Blooms  that  fair  flower,  the  Sauer-kraut ; 
Limburger,  too,  sweet  as  a  rose, 
Greets  everywhere  the  upturned  nose  !  " 

Two  great  temples  now  loomed  up.  One 
was,  in  form  and  general  appearance,  like  unto 
a  cabbage,  while  the  other  was  of  Limburger 
style  of  architecture. 

The  wagon  stopped  before  the  first  temple, 
and  two  priests  came  out  to  meet  it.  Their 
robes  were  made  of  cabbage-leaves  ;  and,  as 
they  stood  before  the  wagon  swinging  censers, 
in  which  were  burning  cabbages,  they  muttered 
something  which,  to  the  bad  boy,  seemed  to  be 
a  combination  of  Greek,  Latin,  and  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch.  At  last  the  bad  boy  heard  plainly 
the  magic  word  "  Sauer-kraut !  "  whereupon  the 
barrels  containing  that  article  dropped  out  of 
the  wagon,  one  by  one,  formed  a  true  military 
line,  and  marched  into  the  temple.  The  B.  B. 
could  see  them  standing  there,  "  rank  and  file  " 
(especially  \he  former).  "  Even  a  cabbage-head 
may  be  taught  something,  if  properly  manipu- 
lated," thought  the  B.  B. 

The  wagon  now  moved  on  to  the  other  tem- 
ple, and  was  met  by  two  priests  after  the  Order 


84  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

of  Limburger.  These  latter  priests  were  very 
yellow  both  in  costumes  and  countenances,  and 
this  sallow  look  made  them  appear  very  bilious 
and  unhappy.  The  B.  B.  wondered  whether 
they  might  not  be  a  kind  of  walking  cheeses 
themselves  ;  and,  from  the  distress  their  expres- 
sion and  color  betokened,  he  thought  they  must 
have  a  gnawing  at  the  heart — of  mice.  There 
was  more  gibberish  gone  through  with,  but  at 
the  magic  word  "  Limburger ! "  the  cheeses 
commenced  dancing  about  at  a  fearful  rate,  and 
the  B.  B.  felt  himself  being  carried  around  by 
the  one  on  which  he  had  been  sitting.  While 
going  through  a  peculiar  figure,  which  the  B.  B. 
believed  to  be  a  kind  of  German  (Pennsylvania), 
his  cheese  gave  a  high  jump  and  pitched  him 
out  of  the  wagon  ! 

Clark  awoke  forthwith,  and  found  he  had 
fallen  out  of  bed  and  was  flat  on  the  floor.  It 
was  broad  daylight,  and,  looking  out  of  his 
window,  he  saw  Vogel  in  the  garden  gazing 
lovingly  upon  the  growing  cabbages. 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  85 


XIV. 

CLARK'S  new  pantaloons  proved  to  be  en- 
tirely satisfactory,  and  he  again  walked 
forth,  comfortable  in  mind  and  body. 

His  visit  in  Louisville  was  not  a  business 
success.  Vogel  gave  him  a  fair  order,  but  fur- 
ther than  this  Clark  did  nothing.  There  were 
so  many  travellers  in  the  city  representing  com- 
peting houses,  that  Clark  seemed  to  have  no 
chance.  Probably  he  did  not  push  himself  for- 
ward as  much  as  he  should  have  done.  Then, 
too,  it  seemed  to  him  that  being  personally  ac- 
quainted helped  a  salesman  greatly  with  South- 
ern buyers — not  that  they  would  pay  an 
acquaintance  or  friend  any  more  for  goods  than 
they  would  a  stranger,  but,  all  else  being  equal, 
the  salesman  whom  they  knew  personally  would 
have  the  preference — but  that  is  the  case  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  everywhere.  Whatever 
the  cause,  Clark  took  his  departure  from  Louis- 
ville with  only  one  order. 


86  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

At  a  station  about  midway  between  Louis- 
ville and  Indianapolis,  a  regular  swarm  of  chil- 
dren and  babies  came  aboard  the  train. 

Clark  thought  their  ages  might  range  from 
four  or  five  weeks  old  to  three  or  four  years. 

"There  has  been  a  baby-show,"  thought 
Clark.  The  whole  company  of  little  ones  were 
in  charge  of  one  man,  a  woman,  and  a  girl. 
The  man  had  taken  the  seat  next  in  front  of  the 
one  occupied  by  Clark,  and  Clark  found  himself 
counting  the  little  ones.  There  were  two  chil- 
dren in  the  seat  with  the  man,  besides  the  two 
babies  held  in  his  arms,  which  number  was  at 
that  moment  further  augmented  by  the  woman 
placing  another  baby  in  his  lap,  saying  :  "  Here, 
John,  you  must  take  care  of  this  other  trip." 

"  That  makes  five  in  charge  of  the  man," 
thought  Clark.  "  Two  tiny  ones  with  the 
woman  is  seven ;  those  two  fighting  for  a  seat 
at  the  window  is  nine  ;  two  little  ones  with  the 
girl  is  eleven.  There  are  three  others  distrib- 
uted around,  crying  because  they  can't  be  with 
'  pop  '  or  '  mum,'  as  they  call  them — making 
fourteen,  and  throwing  in  the  girl  there  are  fif- 
teen ;  but  of  course  it  can't  be  all  one  family, 
for  they  are  too  near  of  an  age." 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  87 

While  Clark  was  still  wondering  and  conject- 
uring, the  woman  cried  out :  , '  ,  ,  „ 
"John,  be  careful  of  the  trips,  and  don  t  fall 
asleep  and  drop  them  !  "  (> 
«  I  '11  be  careful,  wife.  Don't  fret  yourself, 
and  John  gave  the  triplets  a  triple  squeeze,  and 
laughed  good-naturedly.                      _       _ 

-  Look  out  for  the  first  twins.  Victona  will 
catch  cold  if  she  falls  asleep  with  the  window 
open.     Better  shut  it,  John." 

Clark  offered  to  close  the  window,  and  this 
done  the  man  asked  : 

"  Are  you  acquainted  in  Ohio  ?  ' 
■■  I  was   never   west   of  Buffalo    until    this 
month,"  replied  Clark.  . 

«We  are  moving  to  Ohio  from  Indiana.     1 
have  a  brother  in  Ohio,  a  farmer  like  myself. 
Have  bought  the  farm  adjoining  his.    We  are  a 
pretty  big  family,  as  you  can  see,  to  travel 
about  much,  but  we   could  n't   spare   one  of 
them.     Not  one  too  many,  are  there,  trips  . 
«  Are  they  all  here  ?  "  asked  Clark. 
« Every  one  of  them.   Two   sets   of  twins, 
two   of    trips,    and   the   rest    are    scattering. 
This  information  was  imparted  with  evident 


88  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

pride,  and  the  wife  nodded  approvingly.  "  Thir- 
teen is  a  good  many !"  said  the  man,  after  a 
short  pause  ;  "  but  they  will  all  be  taken  care 
of." 

"  Fifteen,  you  mean,  John !  "  said  the  wife, 
reproachfully. 

"  To  be  sure !  I  'm  always  forgetting  to 
reckon  in  the  last  twins.  Indiana  is  a  good  farm- 
ing State,  and  I  hated  to  break  up  there,  but 
I  shall  be  glad  to  live  near  my  brother ;  he 
and  I  are  twins.  Indiana  is  all  right,  and  I 
don't  go  back  on  it.  I  tell  you  they  raise  as 
large  crops  down  there  as  anywhere  in  the 
world." 

"  I  should  never  question  that  for  an  instant," 
said  Clark,  as  he  looked  around  on  the  family 
before  him.  John  seemed  very  warm  with 
three  little  babies  in  his  lap  and  a  child  on  each 
side  of  him.  Suddenly  he  turned  to  Clark,  and 
said  : 

"  If  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  hold  two  of 
these  trips  while  I  take  off  my  coat  and  go  get 
a  glass  of  water,  I  '11  be  much  obliged  to  you. 
It  s  hot  here  !  " 

Clark's  experience  in  baby-holding  was  very 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  89 

limited.  The  last  time  he  held  one  it  seemed 
to  him  as  though  it  was  going  to  drop  to  pieces, 
it  was  so  limber.  What,  then,  could  he  do  with 
two? 

"They  won't  cry,  sir;  they'll  be  good"; 
and  before  Clark  could  find  words  to  protest, 
two  triplets  were  handed  to  him,  John  retaining 
the  third. 

"  Bless  me,  John,  he  does  n't  know  any  thing 
about  babies.  He  don't  even  know  how  to 
hold  them  ! "  cried  the  alarmed  mother,  as  she 
saw  Clark's  clumsy  endeavors  to  handle  the 
little  ones.  Poor  Clark  was  warmer  than  John 
had  even  been.  He  was  relieved  beyond  what 
pen  or  tongue  can  express  when  the  experi- 
enced father  took  the  two  trips. 

"  You  are  not  used  to  babies  ? "  queried 
John. 

"  No,  sir  ;  not  at  all." 

"  None  of  your  own,  perhaps  ?  " 

"  None." 

"  Well,  well,  that 's  a  pity  !    Wife  not  living  ?  " 

"  I  was  never  married." 

"  Oh !  that 's  it." 

Clark  saw  numerous  smiles.     The  whole  car 


90  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

was  smiling,  in  fact  ;  so  he  changed  the  subject, 
asking  :  "  Shall  I  get  you  a  glass  of  water  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  '11  be  much  obliged  to  you.  We 
are  all  pretty  well  occupied,  you  see." 

"  Yes  ;  I  see  you  are/' 

Clark  went  for  the  water,  and  as  he  was  re- 
turning with  some  he  said  to  John  : 

"  Perhaps  your  wife  would  like  a  drink  too." 

"  Thank  you  ;  I  would,"  said  the  woman. 
She  drank  all  the  glass  would  hold,  and  then 
Clark  went  back  and  brought  some  for  the  man. 
After  this  all  the  children,  who  by  word  or  sign 
could  make  their  wants  known,  asked  for  a  drink, 
and  Clark  saw  he  was  again  furnishing  amuse- 
ment for  the  other  passengers  as  he  went  back 
and  forth  in  his  new  occupation  of  water-carrier. 
At  last  he  had  gone  the  rounds  and  relieved 
the  thirst  of  all  the  twins,  triplets,  and  scatter- 
ings. 

The  train  arrived  at  Indianapolis  about  mid- 
night. Clark  was  feeling  pretty  tired,  for  his 
rest  had  been  broken  continually  since  his  de- 
parture from  New  York.  He  was  a  strong  ad- 
vocate for  every  one  having  at  least  eight  hours' 
sleep  out  of  the  twenty- four,  but  had  come  to 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  9t 

the  conclusion  that  all  good  rules  relating  to 
eating  and  sleeping  could  not  be  followed  by  a 
commercial  traveller. 

He  had  undressed  and  was  just  going  to  put 
the  gas  out  when  a  baby  in  the  next  room  com- 
menced crying  most  vigorously.  It  was  a 
young  baby's  voice,  but  possessed  of  great 
power.  Soon  there  was  tramping  up  and  down 
the  room,  and  Clark  could  hear  a  man's  voice 
singing  to  the  baby.  The  words  of  the  song 
could  not  be  understood  by  Clark,  and  the  mel- 
ody was  not  a  familiar  one.  Now  and  then  this 
fatherly  voice  ceased  singing  long  enough  to 
speak  to  the  mother,  calling  her  attention  to 
the  baby's  charms. 

If  Clark  had  not  been  hungry  he  could  have 
slept,  notwithstanding  the  disturbance  in  the 
next  room,  for  he  was  tired  out.  It  was  now 
past  one  o'clock,  and  he  had  had  only  a  light 
six-o'clock  supper.  He  became  more  and  more 
wakeful,  and  also  grew  tired  of  the  song,  the 
same  air  having  been  kept  up  from  the  first 
without  any  variation  ;  and  although  the  baby 
varied  the  monotony  by  frequent  and  long- 
continued  outbreaks,  there  was,  nevertheless,  a 


g2  A   COMMERCIAL   TRIP 

eood  deal  of  sameness  to  the  concert.  Clark 
soon  knew  that  this  baby  was  the  first  for  that 
couple  ;  for  did  n't  he  hear  both  father  and 
mother  declare,  even  while  't  was  yet  madly 
howling,  that  there  never  was  such  a  sweet 
little  mite? 

After  the  cry  was  ended  the  father  seemed 
to  be  having  a  kind  of  frolic  with  the  infant, 
and  Clark  heard  the  mother  give  the  fond 
father  a  mild  scolding  for  making  the  baby 
wakeful. 

"  This  is  n't  becoming  rested  for  the  work  of 
the  morrow,"  thought  Clark.  Then  he  fell  back 
on  his  bad  habit  of  rhyming,  with  the  following 
result : 

OUR   FIRST   BABY. 

And  now  we  have  a  baby 

With  little  hands  and  feet, 
And  dimples,  too.     Ah,  may  be 

You  think  she  is  n't  sweet ! 

Some  babies  make  wry  faces 

And  gape  most  impolite, 
These  are  but  lovely  graces 

With  our  dear  little  mite  ! 

She  makes  tremendous  music 

For  such  a  little  mouse  ; 
Could  any  one  abuse  it 

For  waking  up  the  house  ? 


WITH  AN    UNCOMMERCIAL    ENDING.  93 

For  babies  cry  at  midnight, 

Or  in  the  early  morn  ; 
Are  hungry  or  don't  feel  right 

E'en  on  the  day  they  're  born. 

They  thus  make  known  their  ailing, 

Their  pains  must  be  allayed  ; 
Instead  of  crossly  railing, 

They  give  a  serenade. 

So  sing,  my  little  lady, 

And  let  your  wants  be  known; 
Whate'er  the  hour,  my  baby, 

We  '11  heed  your  winsome  tone. 

And  when  at  night  she  calleth, 

We  '11  rise,  in  white  arrayed, 
To  march  with  her  who  bawleth — 

A  strict  undress  parade  ! 

But  when  the  wretched  colic 

Has  been  induced  to  flee, 
'T  is  then  we  have  our  frolic 

With  little  ba-bi-e. 

Still,  even  after  this,  Clark  felt  no  drowsiness 
come  over  him.  He  was  too  hungry  to  sleep. 
His  watch  told  him  it  was  now  half-past  two. 

"  I  certainly  can't  sleep  until  I  eat  something. 
A  few  crackers  would  be  better  than  nothing," 
thought  Clark.  In  answer  to  his  bell-call  a  boy 
came,  and  Clark  gave'  him  half  a  dollar,  telling 
him  to  bring  up  some  lunch  if  it  was  possible  to 

procure  any  at  that  hour  of  the  night.     In  the 

7 


94  A   COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

course  of  half  an  hour  the  boy  returned  bearing 
a  tray  on  which  were  bread,  butter,  cold  roast 
beef,  and  a  glass  of  milk. 

After  this  lunch  Clark  soon  fell  asleep,  though 
the  baby  had  had  another  spell,  and  the  same 
crying,  singing,  and  tramping  were  going  on 
again. 

Clark  dreamed  he  was  attending  a  baby-show 
and  saw  on  exhibition  four  little  baby  sisters,  all 
of  the  same  age,  and  all  crying  at  the  same 
moment. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  95 


XV. 

ALTHOUGH  Clark  had  had  a  poor  night's 
rest  he  was  up  as  usual  the  following 
morning,  and  by  nine  o'clock  went  forth  to  call 
upon  the  Indianapolis  buyers. 

The  commercial  travellers  whom  he  had  met 
in  Louisville  had  moved  almost  in  a  body  to 
Indianapolis,  and  he  called  upon  three  firms  in 
succession,  only  to  find  certain  travellers  had 
stolen  a  march  upon  him — having  already  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  the  buyers.  Where  he 
next  called  the  buyer  was  occupied  in  reading 
the  morning's  mail.  Clark  introduced  himself 
and  said  : 

"  I  suppose  you  will  be  busy  for  a  while  with 
your  mail  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  late  to-day, — but  I  shall  soon  be 
at  liberty,  and  I  'm  glad  to  see  you.  Take  a  chair 
and  make  yourself  at  home." 

Clark  accepted  the  invitation  to  be  seated, 
and  occupied  himself  in  reading  the  newspaper. 


g6  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  buyer  was 
ready  to  look  at  Clark's  samples  of  keels,  and 
Clark  had  just  begun  quoting  prices  when 
another  salesman  came  in. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Clark,  but  I  had 
forgotten  that  I  had  an  en^a^ement  at  this  hour 
with  this  gentleman.  Can  you  call  about 
eleven  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Clark. 

He  once  aofain  went  the  rounds  of  the  other 
stores,  and  found  the  buyers  engaged  as  before 
with  other  travellers. 

He  called  to  keep  his  eleven  o'clock  engage- 
ment, but  the  buyer  was  not  in  the  office.  A 
clerk  informed  Clark  that  the  person  wanted 
was  at  present  engaged  in  selling  a  bill  of  goods 
but  would  soon  be  at  liberty — so  Clark  waited 
until  nearly  noon,  when  the  buyer  appeared  and 
said  : 

"  Now,  Mr.  Clark,  we  can  talk  business.  It 
is  a  shame  to  have  kept  you  so  long,  but  I  had 
a  customer." 

Clark  again  displayed  his  samples,  and  was 
rehearsing,  what  to  him  had  become  during  the 
past  week  a  kind  of  stereotyped  speech  about 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  97 

"  quality"  and  other  favorable  points  concerning 
his  keels,  when  another  batch  of  letters  came  in. 

"  Will  you  excuse  me  if  I  just  glance  over 
these  letters  ?  " 

Clark  of  course  assented,  and  there  was  a 
further  delay  of  half  an  hour. 

Another  opportunity  came  to  Clark  to  repeat 
his  little  speech  about  "quality,"  etc.,  when  a 
clerk  came  to  tell  the  buyer  there  was  a  lady 
at  the  door  in  a  carriage  waiting  to  see  him. 

"  I  will  not  be  away  over  five  minutes,"  said 
the  buyer.  It  was  fully  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
before  Clark  again  had  the  chance  to  speak  his 
little  piece  about  quality,  etc., — but  he  had  only 
recited  a  part  of  it  before  the  buyer  said  :  "  I 
am  sorry  to  interrupt  you  again,  but  it  is  my 
dinner  hour.  I  would  be  glad  to  have  you  dine 
with  me." 

As  the  invitation  was  evidently  given  with 
the  wish  that  it  should  be  accepted,  Clark 
accompanied  the  buyer  home  and  had  a  very 
good  dinner.  The  buyer  was  very  agreeable 
company,  too,  and  his  wife  equally  so. 

Clark  and  the  buyer  returned  to  the  store  and 
renewed  their  discussion  over  prices,  quality, 


98  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

etc.,  but  there  were  still  so  many  interruptions 
that  Clark  did  not  take  his  order  until  after 
four  o'clock,  and  then  it  was  for  a  very  moderate 
quantity  of  goods. 

He  did  not  succeed  in  doing  any  thing  else- 
where, for  the  different  buyers  still  remained 
occupied  with  certain  travellers. 

"I  really  ought  to  remain  in  Indianapolis 
another  day — but  I  want  to  have  my  trip  over 
as  soon  as  possible.  Besides,  there  are  so 
many  competitors  here  I  think  I  may  as  well 
resign.  It  reminds  me  of  one  day  when  I  went 
fishing  for  trout  in  a  small  brook  where  the  fish 
were  scarce,  but  I  found  anglers  without  number 
ahead  of  me." 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  99 


XVI. 

CLARK  returned  to  the  hotel  about  six 
o'clock  with  the  intention  of  packing, 
and  going  to  Terre  Haute  in  the  evening.  On 
the  way  to  his  room,  and  when  passing  the 
parlor,  he  was  surprised  to  see  an  old  friend 
whom  he  had  not  met  for  years. 

"  Why,  Fred  Clark  !  " 

"  Tom  Park  !  " 

Never  were  two  friends  more  glad  to  meet 
each  other. 

Tom  Park  was  an  Episcopal  clergyman.  He 
was  of  the  same  age  as  Clark,  and  they  had 
been  to  school  together,  and  afterward  to  col- 
lege, graduating  in  the  same  class.  Tom  Park, 
who  had  married  since  Clark  had  seen  him,  now 
introduced  his  wife,  also  his  sister,  a  young  lady 
of  twenty.  Tom  had  recently  resigned  his  par- 
ish in  Kentucky  and  accepted  a  call  to  another 
in  New  York  State.  They  were  now  on  their 
way  to  Chicago,  where  they  expected  to  spend 


100  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

a  few  days  before  their  departure  East.  They 
would  be  in  Indianapolis  until  the  following 
evening. 

Tom  said  to  Clark  :  "  We  are  going  from 
Chicago  to  Buffalo  by  steamer  around  the  Lakes. 
Why  can't  you  make  the  trip  with  us  ?  " 

Clark  explained  the  situation,  how  that  he 
was  on  a  business  trip,  and  must  do  his  best  to 
complete  it  as  soon  as  possible,  and  so  return 
to  his  regular  duties  at  the  office. 

Clark  and  the  Parks  had  separated  to  prepare 
for  supper,  and  Clark  was  in  his  room  thinking 
how  good  it  seemed  to  meet  an  old,  tried  friend 
in  a  strange  land.  He  took  up  his  violin  and 
had  played  a  few  moments  when  he  heard  a 
piano.  Some  one  was  playing  one  of  Beetho- 
ven's sonatas  most  beautifully.  Clark's  violin 
became  silent  at  once.  He  opened  his  door  so 
that  he  might  hear  the  pianist  better.  "  I  never 
heard  any  one  play  with  so  much  feeling.  It  is 
beautiful,"  said  Clark  to  himself  as  he  stepped 
out  into  the  hall.  Then,  almost  unconsciously, 
and  still  holding  his  violin  and  bow,  he  walked 
on  until  near  the  door  of  the  room  wherein  was 
the  cause  of  his  enchantment.     There  he  stood, 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  101 

when,  without  warning,  the  door  flew  open  and 
he  was  confronted  by  Tom  Park,  who  said  : 
«  You  here,  Fred  ?  I  was  just  going  to  call  you 
for  supper."  Then,  as  Clark  did  not  move, 
Tom  added  :  "  Are  you  asleep  ?  ' 

««  Oh,"  said  Clark,  apparently  just  coming  to 
himself,  "  I  was  listening  to  that  music." 

«  We  are  in  luck,"  said  Tom.     "  The  land- 
lord's family,  who  are  now  East,  usually  occupy 
these  rooms,  and  we  have  been  invited  to  make 
ourselves  at  home  and  use  the  piano.     ft  is  a 
*  new  instrument,  and  my  sister  is  happy. 

As  they  entered  the  room  Clara  Park  was 
rising  from  the  piano,  but  upon  Clark's  invita- 
tation  she  resumed  her  playing.  _ 

Tom  soon  interrupted  the  music  with  "  Beg 
your  pardon,  Fred.  You  have  brought  your 
wife,  I  see.  Mrs.  Clark,  let  me  introduce  you 
to  my  wife  and  sister."  Tom  had  taken  the 
violin  from  Clark,  and  was  now  holding  it  to- 
ward the  ladies,  who  bowed  and  expressed 
gratification  at  meeting  one  of  whom  they  had 

often  heard. 

«  I  would  like  very  much  to  hear  your  wife 
Probably,  like  most  singers,  she  would 


sing. 


102  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

prefer  to  use  her  voice  now  rather  than  right 
after  supper,"  said  Clara  Park. 

*  "  Tom  has  told  me  about  a  little  song  you 
play  especially  for  your  children.  Could  n't  you 
play  it  now  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Park. 

Clark  played  the  hymn  for  the  first  time  since 
he  had  stood  before  the  picture  on  the  day  of 
his  departure  from  New  York.  Again  the 
little  child's  voice  came  from  the  violin,  and  the 
other  little  voices  joined  in:  When  he  had  fin- 
ished, Clark  saw  a  tear  trickling  down  Clara 
Park's  cheek,  and  he  thought  : 

"  That  is  the  highest  compliment  my  chil- 
dren's voices  ever  had." 

Clark  decided  to  remain  in  Indianapolis  until 
noon  the  following  day. 

"  I  shall  still  arrive  at  Terre  Haute  in  plenty 
of  time  to  attend  to  business,  and  leave  for  St. 
Louis  to-morrow  night.  Tom  is  a  good  fellow, 
and  it  would  seem  heathenish  to  go  away  to- 
nio-ht,  when  we  have  not  seen  each  other  before 
for  so  long.  I  shall  lose  no  time.  Tom  is  a 
eood  fellow.  We  can  talk  over  old  times." 
These  were  Clark's  thoughts  as  he  went  to  bed. 

The  first  thin^  Clark  did  the  following  morn- 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  103 

ino-  after  dressing  was  to  pack  his  trunk  and 

valise.  , 

.« Now   I   shall  have  nothing  to  do  before 
train-time  but  visit  with  Tom  and  talk  oyer  old 
times.     Tom  is  such  a  good,  whole-souled  fel- 
low ! "  , 
After  breakfast  there  was  more  piano  and 
violin  music  than  was  consistent  with  Clark's 
desire  to  talk  over  old  times  with  Tom,  and 
Clark  changed  his  mind  about  taking  the  noon 
train  for  Terre  Haute. 

«  1 11  stay  to-day,"  he  said  to  himself.  What 
is  the  loss  of  one  day  ?  I  have  not  seen  Tom 
before  for  years.  Tom  is  a  royal  good  fellow. 
It  seems  unfriendly  to  even  think  of  leaving  him 
in  such  haste.     I  '11  remain  here  until  to-night 

So  he  stayed,  parting  with  the  Parks  ate 
that  night,  and  feeling  sorry  business  compelled 
him  to  go  even  then.  _ 

When  he  was  on  the  cars,  bound  for  Terre 
Haute,  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  not  had 
much  conversation  with  Tom,  nor  talked  over 
old  times,  after  all.  He  felt  a  trifle  guilty  when 
be  thought  of  this,  but  wound  up  with  : 
'  "Tom  is  a  good  fellow.  I  hope  we  shall  meet 
again  soon.    We  can  then  talk  over  old  times. 


104  A   COMMERCIAL   TRIP 


XVII. 

CLARK  arrived  at  Terre  Haute  at  about 
midnight.  He  was  no  sooner  in  bed 
than  the  mosquitoes  attacked  him.  There  was 
no  netting  over  the  bed,  and  for  a  while,  not- 
withstanding he  slapped  right  and  left,  the  pests 
had  a  very  good  time.  Finally,  Clark  rang  the 
bell.     The  clerk  answered  it  in  person. 

"  Have  n't  you  any  mosquito-netting  for  the 
protection  of  your  guests  ?  "  asked  Clark. 

"  Yes,  I  can  find  you  a  piece  ;  but  this  is  the 
first  complaint  we  have  had  about  mosquitoes  in 
this  hotel." 

"  I  suppose  so  !  But  at  the  other  hotel,  a 
block  away,  the  mosquitoes  are  terrible,  and  fly 
away  with  the  guests'  baggage,"  said  Clark, 
who  was  in  a  sarcastic  mood,  and  very  sleepy, 
too. 

The  netting  was  brought,  but  proved  to  be 
too  small  to  cover  the  bed,  and  Clark  experi- 
mented with  the  material  some  time  without 


WITH  AN    UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         105 

making  a  success  of  it.  He  was  even  inclined 
to  believe  the  mosquitoes  were  laughing  at  his 
efforts  At  last  he  deserted  the  bed  and  ar- 
ranged the  netting  over  a  high-back  lounge 
pretty  successfully.  Now,  Clark  soon  discov- 
ered that  a  five-foot  sofa  did  not  make  a  com- 
fortable bed  for  a  person  six  feet  long  He 
arose,  placed  a  chair  at  the  foot  of  the  sofa,  and 

tried  it  again. 

-That  is  n't  bad!  "he  thought. 

But  the  mosquitoes  seemed  determined  upon 
living  Clark  no  rest ;  and  although  they  did 
not  get  at  him  for  a  while,  yet  the  netting  was 
so  low  they  could  fly  close  to  his  head  and  sing 
He  had  never  before  heard  such  loud  mosqu  to 
voices.     Had  they  sung  in  good  tune  and  to- 
gether, it  would  have  been  very  sweet ;  but 
£    t  was  all  discord.     He  could  not  recog- 
nize any  particular  air,  though  he  was  quite 
positive  one  old  fellow  was  trying  to  sing  that 
familiar  strain  : 


We  're  going  to  hum  till  morning, 

We  're  going  to  hum  till  morning, 

We  're  going  to  hum  till  morning, 

Till  daylight  doth  appear  1 " 


106  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

Suddenly  Clark  felt  a  bite !  Yes  !  one  scoun- 
drel had  found  a  hole  in  the  netting,  come  in, 
and  drawn  blood.  As  Clark's  slap  hurt  only 
himself  and  did  not  touch  the  too-lively  mos- 
quito, he  arose,  lighted  the  gas,  and  drove  the 
villain  out.  Then  he  again  arranged  the  net- 
ting, crawled  under,  and  thought  rather  sadly  : 


"  Who  comes  to  me  when  I  'm  in  bed, 
And  buzzes  'round  my  tired  head, 
And  never  stops  till  blood  is  shed  ? 
Mosquito  ! 

"  Who,  when  I  think  my  net  is  tight, 
Creeps  in  a  little  hole  at  night, 
And  welcomes  me  with  sting  and  bite  ? 
Mosquito  !  " 

He  fell  asleep  finally,  thinking  of  the  Parks 
and  the  pleasant  time  he  had  in  their  company. 
But  he  did  not  sleep  long,  for  a  dog's  loud 
barking  in  the  yard,  under  the  window,  soon 
awakened  him.  Another  dog  answered  dog 
number  one  ;  number  three  joined  in,  and  an- 
other, and  another,  and  still  another  added 
their  several  barks,  until  it  seemed  as  though 
the  whole  population  of  canines  had  awoke  to 
give  the  full  moon  a  grand  serenade.     Clark 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         107 

heard  a  clock  strike  two,  and  afterward,  at  the 
end  of  what  seemed  a  very  long  hour,  three, 
and  then  the  dog  in  the  yard  concluded  to  set 
the  others  a  good  example  and  go  to  bed. 
Clark,  too,  dropped  off,  his  last  thoughts  being  : 
«  I  shall  not  be  obliged  to  rise  early,  for  there 
are  only  two  houses  to  call  on  here,  and  I  don't 
leave  for  St.  Louis  till  night." 

Poor  Clark !     At  five  o'clock  he  was  wide 
awake  again.     The  cause— the  running  of  one 
of  the  noisiest  of  sewing-machines  in  the  room 
directly   overhead.      Becoming   accustomed  to 
this,  he  was  again  losing  himself  when  a  piano 
struck  up  in  the  room  across  the  hall.     Some- 
body not  at  all  advanced  in  music  was  practis- 
ing the  scales  very  slowly  but  with  much  power ! 
«  I  declare  !     This  is  a  scaly  place  for  sleep- 
ing," thought  Clark,  as  he  arose.     It  was  half- 
past  six.     By  seven  he  had  dressed,  and  was 
improvising  upon  his  violin  when  a  loud  knock 
on  the  door  connecting  his  room  with  the  next 
startled  him.     A  man's  voice  called  out  gruffly  : 
"  I  say,  mister,  just  give  us  a  rest  with  that 
old  fiddle.     I  did  n't  get  to  bed  till  late,  and 
want  to  sleep.     Or,  if  you  must  scrape  the  mis- 


108  A   COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

erable  old  thing,  'spose  you  let  up  on  the  tune 
the  old  cow  died  on  and  give  us  a  jig  or  some- 
thing lively." 

Clark  put  his  violin  aside  without  a  word,  but 
he  mused  : 

"  To  think  that,  after  being  kept  awake  nearly 
all  night,  some  one  should  object  to  my  violin 
at  seven  in  the  morning  !  " 

He  had  breakfast,  and  called  early  upon  the 
only  two  jobbers  in  his  line  of  goods.  The 
buying  partner  of  one  of  these  firms  was  East, 
and  would  not  be  at  home  for  several  weeks. 
The  buyer  for  the  other  house  was  also  absent, 
but  was  expected  that  noon  ;  so  Clark  had  four 
hours  before  him  to  spend  as  best  he  could. 
He  went  wandering  about  the  city  until  he 
stumbled  on  the  Wabash  River. 

"  Why,  what  an  idiot  I  am !  Here  is  a  river, 
and  I  have  wasted  at  least  half  an  hour  which 
might  have  been  passed  in  fishing,"  he  thought. 

"  Are  there  any  fish  worth  catching  in  this 
stream?  "  he  inquired  of  a  man  who  was  repair- 
ing a  boat. 

"  Millions  of  them  !  Lots  of  black-bass.  Can 
catch  a  boat-load  in  an  hour  or  two." 


.   WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  IO9 

"  Where  can  I  hire  a  boat  ?  " 

"  I  'm  your  man  for  that." 

"  Have  you  bait  and  fishing  tackle  ?  " 

"  Yes,  plenty." 

Clark  was  soon  fishing.  The  man  had  told 
him  a  reasonable  kind  of  a  lie,  considering  fish 
was  the  subject,  for  on  that  topic  no  one  is  ever 
suspected  of  telling  the  exact  truth.  There  were 
not  boat-loads  of  bass  to  be  taken,  and  they  did  'nt 
come  about  the  boat  crying  to  be  caught,  but  in 
the  course  of  time  Clark  had  a  bite,  and  pulled 
in  a  small  sun-fish.  The  next  bite  was  different, 
and  Clark  landed  a  four-pound  bass. 

"  I  would  rather  take  a  fish  like  this  than  any 
order  for  goods  ever  given !  "  exclaimed  the 
enthusiastic  fisherman, 

He  soon  forgot  all  about  business,  and  fished 
until  his  bait  gave  out,  and  then  for  the  first  time 
looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Three  o'clock  !  Whew  !  I  have  been  at  it 
six  hours." 

He  had  a  good  string  of  bass,  and  the  owner 
of  the  boat  was  evidently  surprised  when  Clark 
returned  with  them. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  you  caught  all 
those  yourself  ?  " 


110  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  Of  course,  I  did.  There  lack  a  few  of  being 
a  boat-load,  but  I  am  very  well  satisfied." 

These  fish  Clark  presented  to  the  proprietor 
of  the  hotel,  with  the  request  that  they  be  cooked 
for  supper.  He  then  ate  a  cold  dinner  and  hur- 
ried off  to  see  the  buyer  who  had  been  expected 
back  at  noon.  This  individual  had  not  returned, 
but  had  telegraphed  he  should  be  detained  two 
or  three  days  longer. 

"  The  express  for  St.  Louis  does  not  leave 
until  after  midnight.  I  '11  have  an  hour  or  two 
more  bassing,"  thought  Clark. 

He  fished  faithfully  and  with  fair  success  until 
the  sun  went  down,  when  the  bass  ceased 
biting.  Then  he  gave  it  up  and  departed  for 
St.  Louis  very  much  pleased  with  his  visit  to 
Terre  Haute.  In  fact,  he  considered  it  had 
been  by  far  the  most  successful  day  of  his  trip. 


WITH  AN    UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  Ill 


XVIII. 

HE  had  a  lower  berth  on  the  sleeping-car, 
and  commenced  well  enough,  soon  fall- 
ing asleep  ;  but  he  awoke  before  long,  and 
heard  loud  talking  outside  the  car.  The  train 
had  come  to  a  standstill,  and  Clark  soon  gathered 
that  there  was  a  freight  train  off  the  track  right 
ahead,  which  had  blocked  the  road. 

One  voice  said  : 

"  There  will  be  several  hours'  delay,  and 
perhaps  we  shall  be  here  all  night.  Let 's  get 
a  berth." 

"  All  right !     So  say  I." 

Two  men  now  came  into  the  car  and  asked 
the  porter  for  sleeping  accommodations — "  A 
place  to  roost,"  they  said. 

They  were  bound  for  a  point  at  which  the 
train  was  due  at  three  in  the  morning,  and  so 
had  not  taken  a  berth  at  the  start,  but  now 
that  there  was  a  prospect  of  being  out  all  night, 
they  wanted  "  a  place  to  roost." 


112  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

All  the  lower  berths  were  taken,  and  the  two 
men  comprising  the  roosting  party  were  given 
the  berth  over  Clark. 

They  had  clubbed  together,  and  were  to 
make  this  one  berth  do  for  their  two  large, 
heavy  bodies.  Clark  felt  uncomfortable  about 
having  those  two  big  men  over.  him.  It  seemed 
very  probable  the  fastenings  sustaining  the  up- 
per berth  might  give  way  under  such  weight," 
and  occupants  and  all  be  precipitated  upon 
him.  After  the  two  had  climbed  up  things  did 
creak  fearfully,  and  Clark's  hands  were  raised 
to  ward  off  the  anticipated  fall.  No  such  catas- 
trophe came  to  pass,  however.  But  Clark  could 
not  sleep,  for  whenever  the  men  above  him 
turned  over  or  moved,  there  was  a  groaning 
and  a  creaking  unpleasant  to  Clark's  ears.  Soon 
the  two  men  began  quarrelling  about  room. 

"  Keep  on  your  own  side." 

"  I  am." 

"  No,  you  ain't.  You  've  more  than  your 
share." 

"I  have  n't!  " 

"  You  have  !  " 

"  You  're  another!  " 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         1 13 

"  Look  here  !  If  it  was  n't  for  making  a  row 
I  'd  just  pitch  you  out  of  this  bunk  !  " 

"  Try  it,  if  you  think  best." 

Here  the  porter  came  and  told  them  they 
would  have  to  keep  quiet;  that  they  would  dis- 
turb the  passengers. 

After  this  they  quarrelled  in  lower  tones,  but 
Clark  heard  all  they  said,  and  several  times 
thought  there  was  really  going  to  be  a  fight. 

The  car  became  warmer  the  longer  it  stood 
still,  and  as  Clark  could  not  sleep,  he  decided 
to  dress  and  go  out  for  some  fresh  air. 

He  walked  to  the  scene  of  the  wreck,  and 
there  saw  the  engine  on  its  side  and  a  number 
of  freight  cars  badly  broken  up.  He  learned 
there  was  no  one  injured,  though  there  had  been 
several  narrow  escapes. 

The  engineer  and  fireman  had  saved  them- 
selves by  jumping  before  the  engine  had  turned 
over.  Clark  stood  viewing  the  wreck,  when  he 
heard  a  bell  ring. 

"  I  verily  believe  my  train  is  backing  !  "  said 
Clark  to  himself.  He  was  hurrying  back  to  his 
car  when  one  of  the  workmen  said  : 

"  You  can't  catch  it.  They  are  going  to 
Terre  Haute,  where  they  will  breakfast." 


114  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  How  far  is  it  to  Terre  Haute  ?  " 

"  Four  miles  or  thereabouts." 

Four  miles  was  not  much  of  a  walk  for 
Clark  under  ordinary  circumstances,  but  it  was 
a  gloomy  kind  of  a  night,  and  dense  woods 
lined  each  side  of  the  track.  There  was  a  high 
wind,  too,  with  an  occasional  drop  of  rain.  A 
hand-car  stood  on  the  track,  and  Clark  said  to 
one  of  the  men  : 

"  I  '11  pay  you  five  dollars  if  you  will  take  me 
back  to  the  train." 

"  Can't  do  it  unless  the  boss  says  so." 

"  Where  is  he  ?  " 

"  That's  him,"  pointing  to  a  tall  man. 

Clark  approached  the  boss  and  said  :  "  I  be- 
long on  the  sleeping-car  bound  for  St.  Louis, 
and  "— 

"  Why  didn't  you  stay  there?  You  don't 
do  any  good  here — that 's  a  sure  case." 

"  Well,  I  am  here,  having  left  the  car  think- 
ing the  train  would  stay  here  till  the  track  was 
cleared  ;  and  I  would  like  to  get  back." 

"  Easy  enough.  You  've  got  legs  !  "  And 
the  men  laughed. 

"  Can't  you  let  one  of  these  men  take  me 
back  in  this  hand-car  ?  " 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 1  $ 

"  Not  much !  Plenty  of  work  here.  Can 
give  you  a  job,  too,  if  you  want  one." 

It  now  began  raining  quite  heavily,  and  Clark 
was  muttering  :  "  What  a  scrape  !  "  He  stood 
under  the  lee  of  one  of  the  freight  cars  to  keep 
out  of  the  wet,  but  the  water  began  dripping  off 
on  him,  so  he  moved  his  head-quarters  to  a 
tree,  under  which  he  stood  for  half  an  hour 
or  longer,  still  muttering  "  What  a  scrape !  " 

Soon  there  was  a  lull  in  the  rain,  and  he 
started  to  walk  to  Terre  Haute.  Striking-  a 
match,  he  found  it  was  three  o'clock.  To  add 
to  his  other  discomforts,  he  was  very  hungry. 
He  walked  rapidly,  and  was  well  on  his  jour- 
ney, when  the  rain  set  in  again  harder  than 
before.  Seeing  a  dim  light  near  by,  he  ran 
toward  it,  coming  abruptly  against  a  barbed 
wire-fence,  which  astonished  him  a  good  deal, 
and  pricked  him  too,  but  his  clothes  were  not 
torn. 

He  felt  his  way  now  until  he  found  an  open- 
ing, and  then  came  to  a  log-house  wherein  a 
candle  was  burning.     He  knocked. 

"  Who  's  there  ?  "  asked  a  mans  voice. 

"  A  gentleman." 


u6 


A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 


"  Nice  time  of  night  for  a  gentleman  to  be 
prowling  about.     Bet  you  're  a  tramp." 

Clark  explained  how  it  was  he  happened  to 
be  there. 

"All  right!  I  '11  let  you  in.  You  talk  like 
an  honest  man ;  but  if  you  try  to  go  back  on  me 
'twill  be  the  worse  for  you,  and  don't  you  forget 
it!" 

The  man  opened  the  door  and  Clark  entered. 

"  Do  you  want  a  place  to  stretch  yourself?  " 

"  No,  I  thank  you.  I  will  not  lie  down,  for 
as  soon  as  the  rain  ceases  I  mean  to  walk  back 
to  the  train.  I  think  it  will  clear  up  soon,  for  I 
had  a  glimpse  of  the  moon  a  minute  ago." 

"  No  need  of  going  back  to  Terre  Haute. 
When  they  have  cleared  the  track  your  train 
will  come  along.  My  son  is  a  railroad  man, 
and  I  '11  have  him  flag  it  to  make  a  sure  thing 
of  it.  It  is  a  long  three  miles  to  Terre  Haute. 
Lie  down  and  make  yourself  comfortable.  Ex- 
cuse my  taking  you  for  a  tramp." 

"  Oh,  that  is  all  right.  I  feel  like  one.  Could 
you  give  me  some  bread  ?     I  am  very  hungry." 

"  Can  give  you  bread,  butter,  and  sausage." 

"  Thank  you.  Bread  and  butter  will  be  suf- 
ficient." 


WITH  AN     UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.        117 

This  repast  tasted  very  well,  and  after  it  he 
lay  down  and  slept  till  seven  o'clock,  at  which 
hour  his  host  aroused  him  and  said  the  track 
was  clear,  and  that  the  train  would  soon  come 
along.  Clark  paid  for  his  bread  and  butter  and 
lodging — for  which  the  man  would  take  only 
twenty- five  cents, — and  was  glad  when  he  was 
once  more  on  the  Pullman  sleeping-car.  It  was 
past  noon  that  Sunday  when  the  train  arrived 
at  St.  Louis.  As  Clark  had  had  nothing  but 
bread  and  butter  since  supper  the  day  before, 
he  was  almost  famished ;  so  before  going  to  the 
hotel  he  had  dinner  at  the  Union  Depot  dining- 
hall.  He  had  telegraphed  for  a  room,  but  not 
having  put  in  an  appearance  with  the  rest  of  the 
belated  travellers  the  clerk  had  given  the  room 
set  apart  for  him  to  another  person,  and  Clark 
was  forced  to  take  a  small  room  on  the  top  floor, 
the  hotel  being  very  full. 

Clark  had  his  trunk  sent  up,  and  was  once 
again  playing  on  his  violin.  But  he  was  not  as 
well  satisfied  with  its  tone  as  he  usually  was. 

"  You  are  not  in  as  good  voice  as  you  were 
in  Indianapolis.  I  suppose  you  miss  your  piano 
accompaniment.  So  do  I.  Tom  is  a  good 
fellow." 


1 18  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 


XIX. 

AT  the  hotel  Clark  had  found  a  letter  from 
Morgan  headed  "  Aboard  the  Fketwing" 
It  made  him  homesick. 

Morgan  had  written  that  he  felt  as  well  as 
ever,  and  was  having  a  glorious  time. 

In  the  evening  Clark  went  to  church.  As  he 
was  walking  down  the  middle  aisle,  after  the 
close  of  the  service,  he  saw  on  the  other  side  of 
the  church  a  person  whom  he  recognized. 

There  s  Ed  Hartley  large  as  life,  and  con- 
siderably larger,"  thought  Clark. 

Yes,  there  was  no  mistaking  Ed,  though  Clark 
had  not  seen  him  for  ten  years. 

Ed  had  grown  stout  or  been  blown  up — that 
was  all  the  change  in  him. 

Clark  would  have  known  his  old  friend  any- 
where, by  the  twinkle  of  Ed's  eyes. 

They  seemed  to  have  the  power  of  seeing  into 
every  thing,  and  through  any  thing — and  yet 
they  were   not  sharp  nor  staring  ;  but  bright, 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         1 19 

playful,  eyes  with  a  never-failing  twinkle.  ^  Clark, 
the  poet,  never  saw  them  without  thinking  : 

"  Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  eye, 
How  I  wonder  what  you  spy, 
All  around,  in  every  nook, 

Shining  with  a  playful  look  1 " 

The  two  friends  met  in  the  vestibule. 

"  Why,  you  old  reprobate  !  " 

That  was  the  very  churchly  greeting  Clark 
received,  and  which,  perhaps,  shocked  some  of 
the  more  staid  members  of  the  departing  congre- 
gation. 

"  Fred,  this  is  my  wife." 

»  Where  's  yours  ?  "  he  asked,  scarcely  giving 
Clark  a  chance  to  pay  his  respects   to    Mrs. 

Hartley. 

"I  have  none,"  replied  Clark. 

«  lust  what  I  was  afraid  of.  But  I  know  a 
widow  who  will  just  suit  you.  You  are  too  old 
to  think  of  marrying  any  thing  different.  Come 
along  home  with  me  and  we  11  compare  notes 
for  the  past  ten  years,  and  see  who  has  had  the 
most  fun.  We  live  three  miles  away,  and  you 
must  stay  all  night.  I  U  lend  you  every  thing 
you  need,  except  a  tooth  brush  ! 


120  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

They  drove  out,  and  Clark  found  his  friend 
pleasantly  situated  in  a  very  homelike,  roomy, 
house.  Ed  Hartley  was  one  of  St.  Louis'  rising 
young  lawyers — not  that  he  was  fond  of  rising 
early  in  the  morning  ;  far  from  it. 

"  There  are  two  little  cherubs  asleep  up-stairs," 
said  Ed.  "  Ah  !  Fred,  you  bachelors  don't  half 
live,  after  all.  But,  by  the  by,  I  started  to  tell  you 
about  that  widow.  To  begin  with,  she  has  five 
children.  Now,  when  a  man  puts  off  the  great 
event  until  he  is  as  advanced  in  years  as  you 
are,  there  is  nothing  like  marrying  a  widow  with 
perquisites  in  the  shape  of  a  lot  of  children.  It 
places  him  on  an  equal  footing  with  those  of  us 
who  have  been  for  some  time  family-men.  Still, 
you  were  always  a  rather  conscientious  fellow  at 
school,  and  I  shall  be  shocked  if,  after  marrying 
the  widow,  you  try  to  pass  yourself  off  for  a 
genuine,  simon-pure  family-man.  Credit  to 
whom  credit  is  due !  By  all  means  have  a 
portrait,  life-size,  of  the  widow's  late  husband 
hung  up  in  the  parlor.  Have  it  labelled  :  'The 
Husband  of  my  Youth.'  " 

Of  all  talkers  and  teasers  ever  born,  Ed 
Hartley  was  at  the  head.     Mrs.  Hartley  was  of 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         121 

a  decidedly  retiring  disposition  ;  but,  as  Ed 
was  so  much  the  reverse,  the  couple  made  a 
good  average.  After  Ed  had  run  the  widow- 
subject  in  the  ground  and  they  were  all  seated 
in  the  cosy  study,  Clark  asked  : 

"  Whom  do  you  think  I  met  in  Indianapolis  ? " 

"  Give  it  up." 

"  Tom  Park." 

"  Tom  Park  ?  Bless  him  !  Has  he  settled 
there  ? " 

"  No  ;  he  resigned  his  parish  somewhere  in 
Kentucky,  and  is  now  on  his  way  to  another  in 
New  York  State.  He  is  to  be  in  Chicago  a 
few  days,  and  then  he  goes  East  around  the 
Lakes  by  steamer.     Tom  is  a  good  fellow." 

"  Was  he  alone  ?  or  is  he  married  ?  " 

"  His  wife  and  sister  were  with  him." 

"  Ah  !  Now  you  've  hit  it!  "  said  Ed  ;  "  it 
is  the  sister  we  want  to  hear  about." 

Now,  it  is  no  disgrace  for  a  man  of  thirty-five, 
or  even  twice  thirty-five,  to  blush  ;  and  so  we 
record  it  here  that  Clark  blushed  then  and 
there. 

"  I  thought  so ! "  said  those  dancing  eyes 
which  seemed  to  go  all  through  Clark.     He 


122  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

felt  very  much  as  a  timid  witness  might  who 
was  about  to  be  cross-examined. 

"  Is  she  pretty  ?  "  asked  Ed. 

"  She  is  handsome." 

"  Ah  !  I  thought  so,"  again  seemed  to  say 
those  eyes,  and  Clark  knew  he  was  blushing 
again. 

"  How  old  is  she?  " 

"  Twenty." 

"  Is  she  accomplished  and  bright  ?  " 

"  Decidedly." 

"  You  are  thirty-four  or  five,  are  you  not  ?  " 

"  Thirty-five." 

"  Twenty  from  thirty-five  leaves  how  much  ?  " 

"  Fifteen." 

"  Right !  You  are  a  lightning  calculator ! 
Now,  fifteen  is  about  the  right  difference  under 
the  circumstances.  A  man  of  twenty-five  would 
hardly  be  justified  in  marrying  a  girl  often,  but 
twenty  and  thirty-five  is  n't  bad  !  " 

Ed  ran  on  in  this  strain  some  time,  but  at 
last  changed  the  subject  and  talked  over  old 
times.  Mrs.  Hartley  made  an  attentive  audi- 
ence, and  took  much  interest  in  the  experiences 
and  scrapes  of  the  two  school-boys.  It  was 
past  eleven  before  they  thought  of  bed. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 23 

"  Don't  worry  if  we  don't  call  you  early," 
said  Ed,  "  for  the  truth  is  we  have  been  going 
through  the  servant  ordeal  lately.  Our  tenth 
within  six  months  came  highly  recommended, 
and  has  just  departed,  carrying  away  enough 
spoons  to  start  a  store.  Like  several  other 
girls  who  left  us  suddenly,  she  said  her  mother 
was  sick !  We  don't  know  where  her  mother 
lives.  Probably  the  spoons  were  needed  for 
giving  medicine  !  We  have  been  running  this 
ranche  ourselves  for  a  few  days — also  the  range, 
which  is  the  most  obstinate  thing  I  ever  had  to 
cross-examine.  Sometimes  we  have  breakfast 
at  nine,  oftener  at  ten  ;  but  tc-morrow  I  '11  get 
up  early — say  eight  o'clock— and  stir  up  the 
range,  etc.,  so  that  you  can  have  an  early  break- 
fast, as  you  are  here  on  business." 

Clark  was  in  one  of  his  wakeful  moods.  Ac- 
cording to  all  good  usage,  he  should  have  been 
'  sleepy  after  such  a  night  as  the  previous  one  ; 
but  he  was  n't.  "  Tom  is  a  good  fellow,"  he 
thought.  "  Now,  if  I  had  gone  to  Chicago  with 
him,  done  my  business  there,  and  come  back 
here,  it  would  have  given  me  some  pleasant 
hours  with  him.  Tom  is  a  good  fellow,  for  a 
fact." 


124  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

Then  Clark  tried  to  think  of  other  things,  but 
failed  to  concentrate  his  thoughts  upon  any 
thing  not  connected  with  Tom. 

"  It  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  go  to  Chicago 
to-morrow  night  and  come  back  here  a  few  days 
hence.  Tom  is  a  good  fellow.  Chicago  is  a 
very  important  place.  The  sooner  I  go  there 
and  look  after  the  interests  of  our  house,  the 
better.     I  '11  leave  St.   Louis  to-morrow  mVht 

o 

and  come  back  after  finishing  Chicago." 

There  was  something  in  this  resolution  which 
seemed  to  give  Clark  peace,  for  he  fell  asleep 
and  did  not  awake  until  Ed  knocked  at  his 
door. 

"  It  is  nine  o'clock.  Breakfast  in  half  an 
hour.     How  did  you  sleep  ?  " 

"  Very  well  indeed,  after  I  got  at  it." 

"  Did  the  babies  disturb  you?  " 

"  No  ;  I  did  n't  hear  them." 

"  Then  you  must  have  slept !  I  have  the  two 
noisiest  infants  ever  born.  One  is  a  boy,  the 
other  a  girl  ;  so  we  have  named  them  the  hub- 
bub  and  the  crisis.  Of  whom  did  you  dream 
last  night — the  widow  or  Tom's  sister  ?  " 

"  Neither." 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  125 

At  breakfast  the  Hartleys  proposed  sending 
to  the  hotel  for  Clark's  baggage,  supposing  he 
would  be  in  the  city  several  days  ;  they  were 
therefore  surprised  when  he  told  them  he  was 
to  leave  for  Chicago  that  evening. 

"  You  surely  can't  transact  your  business  in 
St.  Louis  in  one  day  ?  "  queried  Ed. 

"  No  ;  but  I  intend  returning  here  after 
finishing"  Chicago." 

"  Is  n't  that  a  little  out-of-the-way  manner  of 
doing  things  ?  I  don't  pretend  to  be  a  business 
man,  and  I  know  Tom  is  a  good  fellow !  but 
is  n't  it  just  a  little  out  of  the  usual  course,  so  to 
speak,  as  it  were,  in  a  manner,  as  aforesaid  ?  " 

Ed's  eyes  were  dancing  again,  and  Clark  was 
blushing,  but  Mrs.  Hartley  considerately  changed 
the  subject  and  looked  hard  at  Ed.  Clark  was 
spared  until  the  time  came  for  saying  good- 
bye ;  then  Ed  said  : 

"  Tom  is  a  good  fellow,  Clark.  Remember 
me  to  him  to-morrow.  When  you  return  to  St. 
Louis  this  week  come  right  here,  bag  and  bag- 
gage. Did  I  understand  you  to  say  Tom  was 
going  around  the  Lakes  by  steamer  from  Chi- 
cago  r 


126  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  Yes." 

"  Of  course  you  will  not  make  the  Lake  trip 
with  him  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  I  have  not  the  time.  Busi- 
ness is  business." 

"  And  you  are  really  coming  back  here  in  a 
few  days  ?  " 

"  Most  assuredly." 

"  What  do  you  want  to  bet  on  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  if  I  was  in  the  habit  of  betting,  I'd 
wager  any  thing.  I  must  come  back  to  attend 
to  my  business  here." 

"  Of  course  you  must !  But  Tom  is  a  good 
fellow !     Good-bye,  Fred." 

"  What  a  queer  chap  Ed  is,"  thought  Clark. 
"  He  must  torment  even  a  judge  in  court  half 
to  death  sometimes.  I  don't  see  any  thing 
strange  in  my  running  on  to  Chicago  to  see 
Tom.  He  will  probably  start  on  his  journey 
around  the  Lakes  by  Thursday.  I  shall  have  a 
pleasant  visit  with  him,  staying  at  the  same 
hotel ;  then  I  can  return  to  St.  Louis,  and  finish 
here.  Of  course  I  shall,  while  in  Chicago, 
attend  to  business  during  the  day,  and  be  with 
Tom  evenings.     As  the  journey  to    and  from 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 27 

Chicago  will  be  made  at  night  I  don't  see  that 
I  shall  lose  any  time  at  all.  We  have  a  good 
run  of  customers  in  Chicago,  and  the  sooner.  I 
look  after  them  the  better.  Tom  is  a  eood  fel- 
low." 

That  Clark  did  not  quite  succeed  in  satisfying 
himself  that  leaving  St.  Louis  was  exactly  busi- 
ness-like was  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  re- 
peated the  arguments  in  favor  of  his  doing  so 
over  and  over  again,  during  the  day.  Indeed, 
he  spent  more  time  in  arguing  to  satisfy  his 
mind,  than  he  did  talking  up  his  goods  to  the 
buyers  ;  and  he  made  no  sales.  He  saw  nearly 
all  the  leading  firms,  however,  and  told  them  he 
was  going  to  Chicago  that  night,  but  would  re- 
turn to  St.  Louis  within  a  few  days.  As  he 
stepped  aboard  the  train  he  thought:  "  Tom 
is  a  ^ood  fellow.  We  '11  talk  over  old  times. 
Chicago  is  an  important  place.  I  am  glad  I  de- 
cided to  go  there  without  delay  to  look  after 
our  trade.     Tom  is  a  good  fellow." 


128  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 


XX. 

CLARK  arrived  in  Chicago  about  eight 
o'clock  the  following  morning.  He  had 
not  slept  well.  After  going  to  the  hotel  at 
which  the  Parks  were  staying  he  took  a  room, 
made  himself  presentable,  and  then  sent  up  his 
card  to  Tom.  The  Parks  were  just  on  the 
point  of  going  to  breakfast  when  the  card  was 
brought  in,  and  a  look  of  surprise  came  over 
the  face  of  each  of  them. 

The  Parks  and  Clark  had  breakfast  together, 
and  soon  afterward  Clark  said  to  Tom  :  "  Now 
I  must  go  to  work.  We  shall  have  all  the 
evening  together,  and  can  then  talk  over  old 
times.  I  wish  I  was  a  '  gentleman  of  leisure,' 
but  unfortunately  I  am  a  commercial  traveller 
for  the  time  being,  and  must  stick  to  my  text — 
which  I  hope  you  always  do.  What  a  day  this 
would  be  for  a  sail  on  the  lake.  But  business 
says  *  stay  ashore  and  be  a  landlubber.'  Tom, 
has  living  inland  for  five  years  made  you  lose 
your  love  for  the  water  and  yachting  ?  " 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 29 

"  Not  by  a  long  shot.  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  never  again  accept  a  call  to  any  parish  which 
was  located  away  from  the  sea.  To  begin  with, 
I  always  found  I  could  write  better  sermons  in 
a  boat  or  in  sight  of  the  ocean  than  anywhere 
else." 

"  I  wish  Tom  would  take  a  floating  chapel ; 
it  would  just  suit  him,"  said  Mrs.  Park. 

"  Oh,  it  would  n't  do  at  all,"  said  Clara  Park, 
"  for  he  would  soon  have  a  mast  and  sail  rigged 
up  instead  of  a  spire,  and  be  cruising  around 
while  service  was  going  on." 

Boating  now  became  the  topic  in  earnest,  and 
Clark  found  he  was  in  the  company  of  very  en- 
thusiastic sailors. 

"  Why  should  n't  we  have  a  sail  this  morning 
on  Lake  Michigan  ?  "  asked  Clark,  forgetting 
about  business  entirely.  All  favored  the  plan 
strongly,  and  by  ten  o'clock  they  were  at  the 
lake-front  inspecting  boats.  There  were  nu- 
merous small  sailing  craft  for  hire,  none  of  which 
were  very  pleasing,  however.  Clark  now  caught 
sight  of  a  sloop-rigged  yacht  anchored  off  from 
shore  a  short  distance.  It  was  a  trim  little  ves- 
sel with  long  spars,  and  looked  as  though  she 
might  be  a  good  sailer. 


130  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

"  Who  is  the  owner  of  that  yacht  ?  "  asked 
Clark  of  a  man  who  was  fishing  successfully  for 
perch. 

"  Captain  Hicks  ;  he  is  aboard  now." 

"  Does  he  let  her  ?  " 

"  He  takes  out  parties." 

Tom  remained  with  the  ladies  while  Clark 
looked  up  a  row-boat  and  rowed  off  to  the  yacht 
to  interview  Captain  Hicks.  The  captain  told 
Clark  he  never  let  the  Wanderer  go  unless  he 
went  himself,  and  he  could  n't  go  that  day. 

"  We  can  manage  her  all  right,  and  I  will  be 
responsible  for  any  damage  done,"  said  Clark. 

"  But  you  are  a  stranger  to  me,"  replied  the 
captain,  smiling. 

Clark  persevered  until  the  captain  said  :  "  If 
you  can  convince  me  that  you  and  the  other 
gentleman  are  able  seamen  you  can  have  the 
Wanderer  for  a  dollar  an  hour.  I  tell  you  what 
't  is — you  bring  your  party  aboard,  and  if  you 
can  get  the  yacht  under  way  in  good,  seaman- 
ship style  you  can  take  her." 

"  All  right,"  said  Clark,  and  forthwith  brought 
the  Parks  aboard. 

Captain  Hicks  was  soon  convinced  that  the 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  1 3 1 

Wanderer  was  in  good  hands,  and  he  rowed 
ashore  in  his  own  boat,  taking  in  tow  the  one 
Clark  had  been  using. 

The  breeze  was  rather  light  when  they  started 
out,  and  Clark  set  the  gaff-topsail. 

"  It  seems  good  to  be  on  a  yacht  once  more," 
said  Tom. 

"  I  wish  it  would  blow  a  little  harder.  Tom 
is  never  satisfied  until  the  rail  is  under  water," 
said  Mrs.  Park. 

"  No  raillery,  please,"  said  Tom. 

She  has  a  jib-topsail  ;  why  not  put  it  on 
her  ?  "  came  from  Clark. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  cried  Tom. 

Clark  went  out  on  the  end  of  the  bowsprit 
and  unfurled  the  jib-topsail. 

"  How  does  it  seem  out  there  ?  "  inquired 
Tom. 

"  Like  being  at  home  again.  I  remember 
we  thought  it  great  fun  to  go  out  on  the  old 
Idas  bowsprit  when  the  waves  were  so  high 
that  we  were  wet  through  and  through.  But 
I  'm  not  exactly  rigged  for  such  an  adventure 
to-day." 

The    jib-topsail    was    soon    drawing    finely. 


132  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

When  Clark  came  aft  they  all  called  for  some 
f  music  from  his  violin  which  he  had  brought 
aboard  with  him.  The  wind  was  blowing 
harder  now,  and  Tom  was  as  happy  as  a  clam 
at  high  water. 

"  This  is  glorious,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  feel  as 
though  I  could  preach  a  fair  kind  of  a  sermon! " 

"  Oh,  don't  think  of  it !  "  came  in  chorus. 

"  Tom's  favorite  texts  are  about  the  sea  ;  and 
once  when  he  was  speaking  extempore  he  be- 
came excited  over  his  own  description  of  one  of 
St.  Paul's  voyages,  and  made  us  laugh  by  tell- 
ing us  the  apostle  had  a  splendid  cruise !  "  said 
Clara  Park. 

"  We  shall  be  obliged  to  take  in  our  topsails. 
Those  vessels  to  windward  have  a  stiff  breeze," 
said  Clark. 

The  light  sails  were  soon  furled,  and  as  the 
wind  had  increased  very  much  the  Wanderer 
had  all  the  canvas  she  could  carry  comfortably, 
and  her  "  crew  "  sat  up  to  windward. 

"  There  is  really  no  excuse  for  upsetting  a 
boat,"  said  Tom.  "  It  all  comes  from  carrying 
more  sail  than  there  is  any  excuse  for  doing.  I 
once  knew  a  professional  tease  who  was  con- 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         1 33 

tinually  upsetting  persons  because  he  had  a 
morbid  curiosity  for  seeing  how  much  they 
would  stand  without  being  upset!  It  is  a  good 
deal  the  same  with  a  boat." 

"  Is  this  the  commencement  of  the  sermon  ?  " 
asked  Clark. 

"  There  's  a  boat  upset !  "  cried  Mrs.  Park. 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  Ahead  of  us  a  short  distance." 

"  Mrs.  Park  was  right — not  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  away  two  persons  were  seen  clinging  to 
the  bottom  of  a  small  boat. 

"  We  must  pick  them  up,"  said  Clark.  "  There 
is  a  woman  there.  I  will  go  forward,  Tom,  and 
you  luff  up  when  we  are  near  them  and  I  '11 
take  in  the  jib." 

Tom  made  a  good  "  come  to,"  and  the  Wan- 
derer was  soon  along-side  of  the  wrecked  boat. 

Clark  was  helping  to  get  the  woman  aboard 
when  she  cried  : 

"  O  my  child !  my  child  !  " 

"  Take  care  of  my  violin,  Tom,"  said  Clark,  as 
he  removed  coat,  vest,  and  shoes  in  a  twink- 
ling. 

He  had  discovered  the  child,  still  buoyed  up 


134  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

by  its  clothes,  some  distance  away,  and  had 
pulled  the  woman  aboard,  removed  the  articles 
mentioned,  and  was  overboard  in  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  write  it.  Clark  was  a  good  swimmer, 
but  the  water  was  rough,  and  several  times 
he  lost  sight  of  the  child.  When  at  last  he 
had  it  in  his  grasp  it  seemed  lifeless.  He 
held  its  head  above  the  water,  and  then  the 
child  after  gasping  for  breath  commenced  cry- 
ing lustily. 

"  I  never  thought  I  could  be  so  glad  to  hear 
a  child  cry!  I  was  n't  a  moment  too  soon, 
though,"  thought  Clark.  He  was  soon  picked 
up  by  the  Wanderer,  and  upon  getting  aboard 
looked  at  once  for  his  violin.     It  was  safe. 

The  wrecked  boat  was  taken  in  tow,  and  the 
yacht  headed  for  the  harbor.  Clark  was  fairly 
embraced  by  the  father  and  mother  of  the  child 
he  had  saved.  It  could  not  be  called  a  warm 
embrace,  for  they  were  all  too  wet ! 

At  first  Clark  had  had  a  sort  of  contempt 
for  the  father,  who  had  made  no  effort  to  save 
his  own  child,  but  when  he  saw  that  the  man 
had  but  one  arm  and  stated  that  he  could  not 
swim  a  stroke,  Clark  thought  better  of  him. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  135 

As  the  yacht  rounded-to  at  her  anchorage, 
Captain  Hicks  came  out  to  meet  the  party, 
and  took  them  all  ashore.  The  family  who  had 
been  upset  lived  near  the  water,  and  tried  to 
persuade  Clark  to  go  with  them  and  put  on  dry 
clothes,  but  there  being  a  hack  near  by  he  called 
to  the  driver,  and  he,  with  the  Parks,  were 
taken  to  the  hotel,  and  Tom  loaned  Clark  a 
pair  of  pantaloons  which  were  too  short  by 
four  or  five  inches. 

A  drying  and  pressing  at  a  tailor's  brought 
Clark's  out  all  right,  and  in  the  course  of  three 
hours  he  was  clothed  and  in  his  right  size. 

When  they  were  all  together  again  that  after- 
noon, Tom  said  to  Clark  : 

"  Fred,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question." 

"  Go  ahead." 

"  Aside  from  the  pleasure  it  gave  you  to 
save  a  human  life,  did  n't  you  rather  enjoy 
that  swim  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  confess  I  did,  after  the  child's  cry 
told  me  't  was  all  right." 

"  I  thought  so,  you  water-dog.  You  looked 
as  though  you  liked  it,  for  you  had  a  broad  grin 
on  your  face  !  " 


I36  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

" 1  was  very  anxious  about  one  thing, 
though,"  said  Clark. 

"What  was  that?" 

11  My  violin.  I  was  afraid  some  one  would, 
in  the  excitement,  smash  it.  The  water  was 
pretty  cold ;  but  while  I  was  swimming  about 
there,  the  thought  that  some  one  might  sit 
down  on  my  violin  sent  a  shiver  through  me 
which  made  the  water  feel  hot  in  comparison  !  " 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         137 


XXI. 


CLARK  had  transacted  no  business  on  this, 
"  his  first  day  in  Chicago,  but  he  made 
himself  a  kind  of  half-way  promise  to  work 
hardthe  following  day.  When  morning  came, 
however,  he  felt  in  any  thing  but  a  business 
humor  After  breakfast  he  proposed  that  they 
should  all  take  a  drive,  and  they  rode  out  to 

Lincoln  Park. 

ti. .    „r<.„,-„™r,   fhpv  were   on    board. 


the 


In  the  afternoon  they  were   on 
Wanderer  again. 

-What  is  the  loss  of   one  or  two  days.' 
Clark  argued  to  himself.    «  I  am  having  a  good 
time  with  Tom,  and  may  as  well  enjoy  myse  f 
Tom  is  a  good  fellow.     We  will  talk  over  old 

times.  ,     .         .        «.u„„ 

As  Clark  and  Tom  were  fond  of  rowing,  they 
indulged   in   a   little   moderate   pulling  in  the 
evening    taking  two  small   skiffs.     Of  course 
the  ladies  could  not  be  left  behind    so   Mr. 
Park  went  with  Tom  and  Clara  Park  w.th 


1 38  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

Clark.  Undoubtedly  it  was  very  severe  upon 
Clark  to  be  thus  separated  from  Tom  for  a 
while,  but  he  bore  it  bravely. 

When  Clark  awoke  on  the  morning  of  his 
fourth  day  in  Chicago,  he  appeared  to  realize, 
for  the  first  time,  that  he  had  been  acting  very 
unlike  himself  of  late.  His  time  had  been  de- 
voted to — Tom  during  three  entire  days,  when 
he  should  have  been  doing  his  utmost  to  act  the 
part  of  a  commercial  traveller  and  push  for  or- 
ders. He  knew,  too,  that  his  services  were  re- 
quired at  the  office,  and  that  nothing  should 
have  been  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  comple- 
tion of  his  trip  as  soon  as  possible. 

<  He  now  lectured  himself  unsparingly  for 
even  thinking  of  making  the  Lake  trip,  for,  the 
truth  was,  he  had  thought  seriously  of  going 
with  the  Parks  on  the  steamer,  after  all. 

"  I  will  see  the  Chicago  trade  to-day.  To- 
morrow Tom  will  leave  on  the  steamer.  Tom 
is  a  good  fellow,  and  I  would  like  to  make  the 
Lake  trip  with  him,  but  of  course  it  is  not  to  be 
thought  of.     Business  is  business !  " 

Thus  reasoned  Clark,  as  he  thought  of  the 
three  days  he  had  passed  in  Chicago. 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.         1 39 

After  breakfast,  he  told  Tom  he  was  going  to 
work  that  day,  and  then  he  went  to  his  room 
to  get  his  samples  of  keels.  The  samples 
seemed  like  strangers  to  him.  As  he  was 
going  out  to  make  his  first  business  call  he 
hesitated. 

"  How  unfriendly  it  would  be  for  me  to  de- 
vote this  day  to  business,  when  it  is  probably 
the  last  time  Tom  and  I  shall  be  together  for  a 
long  while  !  Tom  is  a  good  fellow.  We  have  n't 
talked  over  old  times  yet,  either." 

The  samples  were  put  back  in  the  trunk,  and 
Lake  Michigan  again  smiled  on  the  party. 

Late  that  afternoon,  when  Clark  was  alone  in 
his  room,  he  stood  before  the  glass  gazing  at 
himself — not  admiringly,  but  with  threatening 
aspect.  Indeed,  he  was  actually  shaking  his  fist 
at  his  own  reflection  V 

"  Promise  me  one  thing,  old  boy,  and  that  is 
that  you  will  leave  for  Milwaukee  to-night.  I 
would  n't  trust  you  if  you  remained  over  till  to- 
morrow." 

The  promise  came  hard,  but  it  was  extracted 
at  last,  Clark  shaking  hands  with  his  reflection 
to  bind  the  agreement. 


140  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

He  surprised  his  friends  by  bidding  them 
good-bye  and  departing  on  the  9  p.  m.  train  for 
Milwaukee.  As  he  had  not  said  a  word  to  any 
of  them  about  going,  this  leave-taking  was  cer- 
tainly very  sudden,  and  Tom  could  not  under- 
stand why  Clark  would  not  wait  until  morning 
and  so  see  them  off  on  the  steamer. 

Clark  was  on  the  train.  The  night  was  very 
pleasant  and  calm,  but  Clark's  condition  was  not 
in  keeping  therewith,  for  within  him  all  was  very 
tempestuous.  Old  Probabilities  would  have 
hoisted  the  danger  signal  over  him. 

But  as  the  train  rushed  on  toward  Milwaukee 
he  complimented  himself  upon  his  "  will-power." 

"  I  am  thankful  I  had  the  will  to  give  up  the 
crazy  idea  of  that  trip  around  the  Lakes.  Now 
I  shall  be  able  to  attend  to  my  business  in  Mil- 
waukee, return  to  Chicago,  finish  there,  and 
then  take  in  St.  Louis.  Yes,  I  am  glad  I  went 
away  to-night." 

The  next  moment  he  was  very  sorry. 

When  the  train  was  well  on  toward  Milwau- 
kee he  asked  the  conductor  :  "  Is  there  a  train 
going  back  to  Chicago  this  evening  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 


WITH  AN  UNCOMMERCIAL  ENDING.  141 

"  That 's  fortunate  !"  he  thought,  and  imme- 
diately afterward,  "  I  'm  very  sorry  !  "  adding 
aloud  :  "  There  's  consistency  for  you  !  "  which 
remark  caused  a  number  of  "passengers  to  stare 
at  him.  Again  he  questioned  the  conductor, 
and  was  told  there  was  a  train  leaving  Milwau- 
kee  for  Chicago  at  four  in  the  morning,  which 
was  due  in  Chicago  at  7  a.  m.  Clark  would  ar- 
rive at  Milwaukee  about  midnight. 

"Of  course  it  is  nonsense  to  think  of  that 
four-o'clock  train,"  mused  Clark. 

When  he  arrived  at  Milwaukee  he  went  to 
the  hotel  and  to  bed,  congratulating  himself 
again  upon  his  "  will-power."  It  was  settled 
now.  By  the  time  he  should  be  breakfasting 
the  steamer  would  have  sailed  with  the  Parks 
aboard.  "  Tom  is  a  good  fellow,  and  I  would 
like  to  talk  over  old  times  with  him,  but  business 
is  business,"  he  said,  as  he  turned  out  the  gas. 

After  tossing  about  in  bed  for  some  time  he 
arose,  struck  a  match,  and  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  Half-past    two !      I    ought  to    have    been 

asleep  long  ago.     Now  for  a  good  long  nap 

before  breakfast.     I  have  n't  slept  well  lately. 

Tom  is  a  good  fellow," 
10 


I42  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP 

He  lay  quietly  for  a  while,  though  wide- 
awake. 

Again  he  jumped  up  and  struck  a  match. 

"  Twenty  minutes  past  three." 

He  touched  the  electric-bell  button.  A 
colored  boy  answered  the  call. 

"  Order  the  omnibus  to  wait  for  me.  I  '11  be 
down  in  fifteen  minutes  or  less.  Am  going  to 
Chicago  on  the  four-o'clock  train." 

At  the  depot  he  sent  a  telegram  to  his 
partner,  which  read  as  follows  :  "Going  around 
the  Lakes.  Home  next  week.  Skipped  St. 
Louis,  Milwaukee,  and  Chicago,"  and  he  found 
himself  writing  "  Tom  is  a  good  fellow !  "  which 
brought  him  to  his  senses. 

"  I  'm  terribly  worked  up  and  absent-minded. 
How  hot  't  is !  " 

The  train  was  an  hour  late,  so  it  was  eight 
o'clock  before  Clark  arrived  at  Chicago.  He 
entered  a  hack,  and,  with  his  luggage,  soon 
brought  up  at  the  steamer's  dock. 

The  Parks  were  on  the  upper  deck,  and  with 
astonishment  saw  him  coming  on  board. 

"  I  changed  my  mind,  and  am  to  be  one  of 
your  party  after  all,"  he  said. 


WITH  AN   UNCOMMERCIAL   ENDING.  1 43 

*  #  tt  -x-  *• 

Good-bye,  Clark  ;  you  have  ceased  to  be 
a  commercial  traveller,  and  so  we  leave  you. 

Tom  is  a  good  fellow,  and  you  showed  your 
great  regard  for  him  when  you  deserted  your 
business  so  that  you  might  join  him  on  the 
Lake  trip.  You  did  not  take  very  kindly  to 
commercial  travelling,  but  we  know  you  have 
a  very  affectionate  feeling  for  Indianapolis  and 
Chicago,  and  also  for  the  Lake  steamer,  upon 
whose  deck  you  told  Clara  Park  the  "  old,  old, 
story,"  just  as  though  you  were  imparting  a  bit 
of  news  ;  while,  of  course,  the  fact  was,  every 
one  at  all  interested  had  discovered  the  truth 
long  before. 

We  are  a  little  surprised  that  any  one  who 
prides  himself,  as  you  do,  upon  being  a  good 
sailor,  should  feel  obliged  to  call  upon  Tom  to 
tie  a  knot  for  you. 

You  and  Tom  have  not  yet  talked  over 
old  times  together  very  much,  but  perhaps  after 
the  trip  which  you  are  soon  to  make,  and  which 
will  be  strictly  non-commercial,  you  may  give 
your  neglected  college-chum  a  little  attention. 
Considering  that  you  departed  in   haste  from 


144  A    COMMERCIAL    TRIP. 

St.  Louis,  so  that  you  and  Tom  could  meet  and 
talk  over  old  times  ;  neglected  your  business  in 
Chicago  for  a  like  reason  ;  and  astonished  your 
partner  by  taking  a  pleasure  trip  on  a  Lake 
steamer,  and  all  this  so  that  you  and  Tom 
could  be  together  and  talk  over  old  times  ;  we 
say,  considering  all  these  things,  we  cannot 
help  thinking  that  you  have  been  very  neglect- 
ful of  Tom. 

Three  months  is  a  short  engagement,  Clark, 
and  we  feel  certain  you  would  have  waited 
longer  had  you  not  longed  for  the  time  to 
come  when,  seated  before  your  own  hearth- 
stone, and  no  longer  a  bachelor,  you  and  Tom 
could  talk  over  old  times. 

Tom  is  a  good  fellow  ! 


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Specimen  Page  of  "  PRINCE  ZILAH." 


PRINCE   ZILAIL  ^9 

She  shivered  and  moaned,  there  was  such  a  change  in 
the  way  Ahdras  pronounced  this  word,  which  he  had 
spoken  a  moment  before  in  tones  so  loving  and  caress- 
ing,— Princess. 

Now  the  word  threatened  her. 

"  Listen  !  I  am  going  to  tell  you:  I  wished — Ah  !  My 
God  !  My  God  !  Unhappy  woman  that  I  am  !  Do  not 
read,  do  not  read  !  " 

Andras,  who  had  turned  very  pale,  gently  removed  her" 
grasp  from  the  package,  and  said,  very  slowly  and 
gravely,  but  with  a  tenderness  in  which  hope  still  ap- 
peared : 

"  Come,  Marsa,  let  us  see  ;  what  do  you  wish  me  to 
think  ?  Why  do  you  wish  me  not  to  read  these  letters  ? 
for  letters  they  doubtless  are.  What  have  letters  sent 
me  by  Count  Menko  to  do  with  you  ?  You  do  not  wish 
me  to  read  them?" 

He  paused  a  moment,  and  then,  while  Marsa's  eyes  im- 
plored him  with  the  mute  prayer  of  a  person  condemned 
to  death  by  the  executioner,  he  repeated  : 

"  You  do  not  wish  me  to  read  them  ?  Well,  so  be  it  ;  I 
will  not  read  them,  but  upon  one  condition  :  you  must 
swear  to  me,  understand,  swear  to  me,  that  your  name  is 
not  traced  in  these  letters,  and  that  Michel  Menko  has 
nothing  in  common  with  the  Princess  Zilah." 

She  listened,  she  heard  him  ;  but  Andras  wondered  if 
she  understood,  she  stood  there  so  still  and  motionless, 
as  if  stupefied  by  the  shock  of  a  moral  tempest. 

"  There  is,  I  am  certain,"  he  continued  in  the  same 
calm,  slow  voice,  "  there  is  within  this  envelope,  some  lie, 
some  plot.  I  will  not  even  know  what  it  is.  I  will  not 
ask  you  a  single  question,  and  I  will  throw  these  letters, 


Specimen  Page  of  "THE  BLACK  SORCERESS." 


222  THE  BLACK  SORCERESS. 

"  Believe  me,  Scarab,  there  is  a  sweeter  pleasure  than 
that  of  vengeance;  that  of  pardon.  I  do  not  tell  you 
to  forget;  I  know  that  one  can  not  command  one's 
heart — but  forgive!  Remember  that  there  are  about 
you  many  creatures  unhappier  than  yourself,  and  con- 
centrate your  thoughts  on  the  noble  aim  of  saving  so 
many  unfortunates  from  misery  and  the  cruelty  of 
their  lords.     Remember " 

"Forgive?"  she  interrupted  bitterly.  "At  this 
moment  when  vengeance  is  within  my  grasp,  do  you 
know  what  is  my  only  regret?  It  is  that  this  vengeance 
will  be  insufficient  to  satisfy  the  hatred  that  consumes 
me!" 

"Sarah!" 

"  Yes,  I  would  like  to  be  able  to  invent  new  tor- 
tures; I  would  like  to  be  able  to  unite  in  one  mass  all 
the  sorrows,  all  the  insults  I  have  suffered,  in  order  to 
crush  the  Count  and  his  bride,  in  order  to  make  them 
suffer  in  one  day  what  I  have  suffered  all  my  life!  Oh! 
I  would  like  to  trample  their  hearts  under  my  feet, 
and  read  a  mortal  anguish  in  each  pulsation! " 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  Sarah,  be  calm!" 

"Who  speaks  to  me  of  Heaven?"  she  cried  vio- 
lently. "  I  know  no  longer  anything  but  Hell!  I  tell 
you,  Florian,  the  perfidy  of  the  Count  and  the  con- 
tempt of  my  rival  have  been  to  me  like  so  much  poi- 
son poured  into  my  veins.  Ah!  If  this  poisoned 
blood  could  but  fall  drop  by  drop  upon  the  hearts  of 
those  who  have  wronged  me!  " 

As  she  spoke  these  words  the  movement  of  the  lights 
in  the  chapel  showed  that  the  bridal  train  was  about 
to  leave  it 


Specimen  Page  of  "  EXECUTIONER'S  REVENGE." 


THE    EXECUTIONER'S    REVENGE.  127 

"  The  following  day  she  sought  an  interview 
with  the  man  whom  she,  with  her  husband,  had 
called  a  friend.  She  had  resolved  to  sacrifice  her 
own  honor,  to  save  that  of  the  man  she  loved  ! 

"  Her  husband' s  debts  were  paid,  and  soon  after 
he  returned  home,  but  not  to  happiness,  for 
shortly  afterwards  his  wife  died,  first  confessing 
to  him  the  sacrifice  she  had  made. 

"He  took  an  oath  that  the  man  who  had  thus 
dishonored  him  should  not  go  unpunished,  and 
sought  a  speedy  opportunity  of  revenging  himself. 
They  fought,  and  he  believed  that  he  had  killed 
his  enemy,  but  the  latter  was  only  wounded,  and 
afterwards  swore  that  his  adversary  had  at- 
tempted to  murder  him.  The  villain,  who  was 
rich,  and  therefore  all-powerful,  was  believed ; 
and  the  other,  after  having  witnessed  the  con- 
fiscation of  his  property,  was  condemned  to 
exile. 

"And  now  that  you  have  followed  me  atten- 
tively," said  the  duke  de  Lorma,  "  I  will  make 
known  to  you  the  two  men  of  whom  I  have  been 
speaking.  The  one  who  was  exiled  was  called 
the  count  de  Merman.  The  other,  the  villain  who 
had  seduced  his  wife,  was  the  baron  de  Vergins, 
your  father!  " 

A  cry  of  astonishment  which  Emma  could  not 


Specimen  Page  of  "SUPPRESSED  SENSATIONS. 


Suppressed  Sensations. 


Before  the  eight  o'  clock  train  left  for  the  East, 
Mrs.  Baxter  sent  for  her  bill,  and  in  half  an  honr 
she  was  speeding  over  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad, 
tickets  for  New  York  in  her  pocket.  Three 
days  later,  I  was  informed  by  telegraph  from  our 
New  York  correspondent  that  she  had  sailed  for 
Europe  in  the  Germanica. 

The  reader  can  not  have  forgotten  the  thrill  of 
horror  which  ran  through  the  country  when  the 
news  came  of  the  terrible  catastrophe  in  the 
British  Channel,  when  the  Germanica  was  run 
down  by  a  heavily-laden  merchant  vessel,  and  all 
on  board,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  sailors, 
perished.  Among  those  who  found  a  watery 
grave  were  Mrs.  Mortimer  -  Baxter  and  her 
maid  —  the  same  woman  who  played  the  role 
of  the  mother  of  the  child  on  the  night  that 
it  was  first  taken  from  the  house  on  De  Puy- 
ster  street. 

*  *  *  *  * 

On  the  night  of I  met  in  the  card-room 

of  one  of  Chicago' s  fashionable  clubs  the  gentle- 
man who  spoke  to  Gfarvey  on  the  night  of  his 

visit  to  the Hotel.     I  had  gone  to  the  club 

to  hunt  up  a  New  York  gentleman  visiting  in  the 
city,  and  there  met  Mr. .     "  Oh,  by  the 


Specimen  Page  of  "RIVAL  DETECTIVES." 
THE  SHOT  CAME  FROM  BARTEL'S  PISTOL.        95 

there  had  evidently  been  threats  of  a  separation. 
The  Congregationalists  present  looked  at  their 
Episcopalian  brethren  in  triumph,  as  much  as  to 
say,  "We  told  you  so;"  but  the  latter  returned 
the  look  with  interest,  since  it  was  not  quite  clear 
who  was  the  wronged  person  in  this  connubial 
tift. 

All  eyes  were  turned  on  Bartel  when  he  was 
called  upon  to  tell  what  he  knew  about  the  affair. 
Many  of  the  neighbors  had  not  seen  him  since 
he  left  the  town  a  year  before,  and  they  scanned 
his  dull,  almost  repulsive  features,  with  an  eager 
desire  to  discover  traces  of  the  gay  but  blood- 
thirsty Lothario  who  had  played- sad  havoc  with 
the  domestic  peace  of  David  Jones,  and  finally 
sent  the  honest  farmer  hurrying  to  his  last 
account. 

Their  scrutiny  was  by  no  means  satisfactory  to 
the  country  critics.  Dick  was  morose  and  sullen, 
and  more  than  one  remarked  that  the  woman 
who  could  squander  wifely  honor  for  such  an 
ill-favored  scoundrel  was  fitter  for  a  lunatic 
asylum  than  an  honored  niche  in  Montcalm 
society. 

As  he  took  the  oath  to  tell  the  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  Bartel  shot  a  quick,  in- 


Specimen  Page  of  "  CALLED  BACK.11 


248  CALLED    BACK. 

looked  in.  He  was  growing  quite  impatient. 
I  had  no  reason  for  wishing  to  prolong  the  con- 
versation, so  I  told  him  I  should  have  finished 
in  a  moment.  He  nodded  his  head,  and  with- 
drew. 

"If  there  is  anything  more  I  can  do,  let  me 
know,"  I  said,  turning  to  Ceneri. 

' '  There  is  nothing Stay !  one  thing.    Macari, 

that  villain — sooner  or  later  he  will  get  his  de- 
serts. I  have  suffered — so  will  he.  When  that 
time  comes,  will  you  try  to  send  me  word  ?  It 
may  be  difficult  to  do  so,  and  I  have  no  right  to 
ask  the  favor.  But  you  have  interest,  and  might 
get  intelligence  sent  me.  If  I  am  not  dead  by 
then,  it  will  make  me  happier." 

Without  waiting  for  my  reply,  he  walked  has- 
tily to  the  door,  and,  with  the  sentry  at  his 
side,  was  marched  off  to  the  prison.  I  followed 
him. 

As  the  cumbrous  lock  was  being  turned,  he 
paused.  ' '  Farewell,  Mr.  Vaughan, "  he  said.  ' '  If 
I  have  wronged  you,  I  entreat  your  pardon.  We 
shall  meet  no  more." 

"So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  forgive  you 
freely." 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  held  out  his 
hand.     The  door  was  now  open.     I  could  see  the 


Specimen  Page  of  "  FEDORA.' 


IN  THE  RUE  DE  LA  PAIX.  9 

"  Yes,  do,"  responded  Fedora. 

A  cab  was  passing,  and  Marietta  took  it.  Fedora 
refused  the  offer  of  the  concierge  to  sit  down  in  his  room, 
but  walked  nervously  up  and  down  the  sidewalk,  glancing 
every  now  and  then  at  the  closed  windows.  She  saw 
that  the  inside  blinds  were  shut,  so  that  the  apartments 
must  be  in  complete  darkness.  Then  her  husband  could 
not  have  arisen.  As  soon  as  this  thought  struck  her, 
she  hastened  to  the  concierge  and  begged  him  to  force 
the  door.  The  concierge  went  to  fetch  a  locksmith.  In 
live  minutes  the  latter  arrived.  At  the  same  moment  a 
carriage  turned  the  corner  of  the  street,  drew  up  before 
the  house,. and  Marietta  alighted. 

"Well?"  cried  Fedora. 

Marietta  responded  by  a  shake  of  the  head. 

Fedora  ascended  to  the  entresol  with  the  locksmith. 

"  You  will  have  a  hard  time  to  open  it,"  said  the  con- 
cierge, "there  is  a  bolt  and  chain,  besides  the  lock." 

But,  to  his  great  astonishment,  the  bolt  was  not  drawn, 
and  the  door  was  quickly  opened. 

Fedora  rushed  in. 

She  crossed  the  antechamber,  the  dining  room  and  the 
salon;  everything  was  in  its  accustomed  order. 

She  entered  the  bedroom,  the  door  of  which  was  wide 
open. 

Suddenly  Marietta  heard  a  cry,  a  terrible  cry.  She 
ran  into  the  room. 

Fedora  was  lying  unconscious  in  the  middle  of  the 
chamber. 

Half  on  the  floor  and  half  on  the  bed  was  the  body 
of  a  man,  covered  with  blood. 

And  upon  a  leaf  of  an  open  memorandum  book,  were 
these  words,  written  in  blood: 

"  Fedora,  avenge  me.     The  assassin  is — " 


Specimen  Page  of  "  DARK  DAYS.1 


DARK    DAYS.  81 

over,  that  Sir  Mervyn  Ferrand  was  her  husband  ; 
that  he  had  ill-used  her.  She  would  most  cer- 
tainly know  to  whom  Philippa  had  fled.  It  did 
not  follow  that  because  I  was  ignorant  as  to  who 
were  my  neighbors,  they  knew  nothing  about 
me.  At  any  rate,  William,  my  man,  would 
know  the  truth.  So  far  as  I  could  see,  to-morrow 
or,  by  the  latest,  the  next  day  Philippa  would  be 
arrested  for  the  crime.  Most  probably,  I  should 
also  be  included  in  the  arrest.  For  that  I  seemed 
to  care  nothing  ;  except  that  it  might  hinder  me 
from  helping  my  poor  girl. 

Any  hope  of  removing  Philippa — there,  put  it 
in  plain  words — any  hope  of  flight,  for  days,  even 
weeks,  was  vain.  Let  everything  go  as  well  as 
can  be  in  such  cases,  the  girl  must  be  kept  in 
seclusion  and  quiet  for  at  least  a  fortnight  or 
three  weeks.  I  groaned  as  I  thought  of  what 
would  happen  if  Philippa  was  arrested  and  car- 
ried before  the  magistrates,  accused  of  the  awful 
crime.  From  that  moment  until  the  day  of  her 
death  she  would  be  insane. 

Yet,  what  help  was  there  for  it  ?    The  moment 

the  deed  is  known — the  moment   Mrs.  Wilson 

learns  that  Sir  Mervyn  Ferrand  has  been  found 

shot  through  the  heart,  she  will  let  it  be  known 

that  Lady  Ferrand  is  at  hand ;   and  Lady  Fer- 
6 


THE 

CHICAGO  HERALD 


Flexible  Hip *Health-:k-nuksin6-^ 

ABDO/AfNAUc  (OftALIKIE -SWISSES-: 


Coraline  is  not  Hemp,  Jute,  Tampico,  or  Mexican  Grass. 

Coraline  is  used  in  no  goods  except  those  sold  by  Warner  Brothers. 

The  genuine  Coraline  is  superior  to  whalebone,  and  gives  honest  value 'ant 

perfect  satisfaction. 
Imitations  are  a  fraud  and  dear  at  any  price. 
For  sale  bv  all  leading  merchants.    Price  from  $1.00  up, 

WARNER  BROTHERS, 

353  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK.  257  and  359  STATE  STREET,  CHICACK 


university  01 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


am 


